A modified superoxide dismutase represented by the formula: ##STR1## (wherein R is as defined below; SOD is a residue of superoxide dismutase) is produced, in a shortened period of reaction with a high and constant modification ratio, by reacting a polymeric carbonyldiimidazole derivative represented by the formula: ##STR2## (wherein R is a residue of a water soluble polymer having an average molecular weight of about 2,000 to 10,000) with superoxide dismutase in the presence of a buffer having a pH of 9.0 to 11.0 and a concentration of 0.1 M to 0.5 M, preferably 0.2 M to 0.4 M, at a temperature of 30.degree. to 70.degree. C., preferably 45.degree. to 60.degree. C. The modified superoxide dismutase thus produced exhibits a suitably prolonged blood half-life.

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) occurs naturally in the biosphere or living world extensively and is known as an enzyme capable of eliminating superoxide anion radicals (hereinafter referred to briefly as "radicals") which are metabolites of oxygen. SOD is found in all and every living beings or organisms that require oxygen for growth, such as animals, plants and microorganisms.
It has been discovered and confirmed in man that SOD exists in three different types; SOD containing copper and zinc, SOD having manganese and extracellular SOD being present outside cells, among which the type containing copper and zinc is widely known to the general public. Reports have been made that such different types of SOD are effective for rheumatism and arthritis deformans, and in expectation of preventing injuries by ischemia- recirculation, for example, clinical trials are currently under way but in most cases through administration of SOD in the unmodified state. In the light of the fact that such types of SOD show a half-life in the blood as short as some minutes after administration, it cannot be said that SOD is allowed to produce its own effects to the maximal extent; in other words, the efficacy testing has been conducted only on a limited scope.
This invention is concerned with a process which can permit modified superoxide dismutases with a high degree of purity having a markedly elongated blood half-life and consequently finding a wide range of clinical application as a drug substance to be produced on a commercial scale in simplified manners and in increased yields. Heretofore, a great variety of chemical modifications have been performed in order to provide SOD with a prolonged half-life in the blood. For example, modification of SOD was made with high-molecular-weight dextrin (W. F. Petrone et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 77, 1159 (1980)), polyethylene glycols (The Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 249,388/61, 115,280/62 and 245,671/63, and a report by Charles O. Beauchamp et al. (Analytical Biochemistry, 131, 25-33 (1983)) or inulin (The Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 32,826/58). Nevertheless, the said modified SODs as well as the above-mentioned processes for the production of such SODs suffer from various disadvantages to be described below, resulting in failure to solve the problems satisfactorily.
The above-described SOD derivatives have all been developed for the purpose of preventing oxidative tissue injuries in the living body through intravenous and intramuscular administration. Except as stated in the above report by Charles O. Beauchamp et al., all of such derivatives are the high-molecular-weight modified SODs that are produced by use of activated modifying agents having two functional groups with the result that two molecules of SOD are introduced, and consequently, they are provided with an extremley extended half-life in the blood; they present the disadvantage that they remain in the living body for a MUCH TOO long period of time, although they offer the advantage of having a longer blood half-life than unmodified SOD. Beauchamp et al., in their report mentioned previously, described that they succeeded in making improvements on such disadvantage through the activation of N,N'-carbonyldiimidazole (CDI) to thereby supply polyethylene glycol (PEG) with only one functional group. However, the method suffers from the defects that the treatment batch size is too small to conduct the commercial production of modified SOD, particularly the large-volume production of the same for pharmaceutical uses, and that the treatment requires a prolonged length of time.
Taking into consideration the above situation, this invention has been devised after intensive investigation into the large-volume production of SOD modified with polyethylene glycol (hereinafter referred to briefly as "PEG-SOD") or SOD modified with polyoxyethylene glycol.polyoxypropylene glycol.polyoxyethylene glycol (hereinafter referred to briefly as "PEG-PPG-SOD") to thus utilize them in the application fields as pharmaceuticals.
The present inventors, in the course of research activities carried out on the application of proteins to pharmaceuticals, found that prolongation of blood half-lives of proteins can permit the application scope of proteins to be maximized, and have already filed an application for patent covering the efficacy-sustainable type of proteins as per Japanese Unexamined Patent publication No. 59029/59. Unmodified superoxide dismutase (SOD), that is usable in this invention, has in recent years been attracting enhanced attention as a pharmaceutical, and vigorous clinical studies are under progress with SOD.
Taking notice of the facts that unmodified SOD shows a blood half-life as short as some minutes in rats and that SOD elicits drug efficacy at by far larger doses than generally considered for the enzymatic proteins for medicinal uses, however, the present inventors have conducted repeatedly intensive research on a simplified method, as a means of eliminating such defects, of producing high-purity modified dismutase in improved yields that can realize the large-volume treatment. As described in the above, Beauchamp et al. reported the SOD modified with PEG activated by CDI but their produciton method is encountered with difficulties in conducting into practice for large-scale production in terms of facilities.

Process of producing modified superoxide dismutase


A self contained sensor apparatus generates a signal that corresponds to at least two of the three orientational aspects of yaw, pitch and roll of a human-scale body, relative to an external reference frame. A sensor generates first sensor signals that correspond to rotational accelerations or rates of the body about certain body axes. The sensor may be mounted to the body. Coupled to the sensor is a signal processor for generating orientation signals relative to the external reference frame that correspond to the angular rate or acceleration signals. The first sensor signals are impervious to interference from electromagnetic, acoustic, optical and mechanical sources. The sensors may be rate sensors. An integrator may integrate the rate signal over time. A drift compensator is coupled to the rate sensors and the integrator. The drift compensator may include a gravitational tilt sensor or a magnetic field sensor or both. A verifier periodically measures the orientation of the body by a means different from the drift sensitive rate sensors. The verifier may take into account characteristic features of human motion, such as stillness periods. The drift compensator may be, in part, a Kalman filter, which may utilize statistical data about human head motion.

In connection with many aspects of man and machine interaction, it is important to track the motions of parts of a human body. For instance, in virtual reality ("VR") applications, the problem of making a fast, accurate, and economical head-tracker that operates throughout a large workspace is crucial. It is also important for other head-mounted display ("HMD") applications. Extensive research has been devoted to the development of optical, magnetic, acoustic and mechanical tracking systems, but head-trackers are still one of the weakest links in existing virtual-environment systems. The fastest and potentially most accurate trackers are mechanical, but these are typically clumsy and range-restrictive. The largest tracking range has been achieved at the University of North Carolina by optoelectronic methods, but this type of system is extremely expensive and difficult to install, calibrate, and maintain. This type of optical tracker is sometimes referred to as an "inside-out" tracker, because a camera that is mounted on the user is aimed out toward light sources mounted on the ceiling. Ultrasonic trackers are inexpensive, but must sacrifice speed to achieve reasonable range and are sensitive to acoustical interference, reflections, and obstructions. Magnetic trackers are the most popular because of their convenience of operation (they don't even require line of sight), but the maximum range is a few feet and distortions caused by metallic objects can be problematic. For reviews of the existing four head-tracker technologies, see: Meyer, K., Applewhite, H. and Biocca, F., "A survey of position trackers," Presence, 1(2): 173-200, Spring 1992; Ferrin, F., "Survey of helmet tracking technologies," SPIE, 1456, Large-Screen-Projection, Avionic, and Helmet-Mounted Displays: 86-94, 1991; and Bhatnagar, D., Position trackers for head mounted display systems: A survey, technical report, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, March 1993, all three of which are incorporated herein by reference.
All of the known trackers (magnetic, optical, mechanical and acoustical) require interaction with another component of the apparatus that is located a distance from the body being tracked. With magnetic trackers, a magnetic field generator is provided, spaced from the tracked body. With an optical or acoustical tracker, light or sound sources are provided at known locations. Mechanical trackers are connected to a reference through an arm-like device. Thus, none provide a self-contained apparatus for mounting on the body to be tracked, which apparatus can track the orientation of the body without interaction with radiation or energy from any other apparatus. Such a self contained tracking apparatus is desirable. As used herein, a "self-contained" tracking apparatus is one that can track the orientation of a body to which it is mounted, without interaction with radiation, energy, signals, or physical connections from any other apparatus.
Another drawback with acoustic and outside-in optical trackers is that they fundamentally only measure position. Orientation is then computed from the positions of three fixed points on the head. (By "orientation" it is meant herein the rotational alignment relative to an external reference frame.) Therefore, the angular resolution is limited by the uncertainty in the position measurements as well as the distance between the three fixed points on the head. With 100 mm spacing between the fixed points, a positional jitter of .+-.1.0-mm causes an orientational jitter of up to .+-.1.1.degree.. Additionally, since the position tracker is essentially part of the angular orientation tracker, it is not possible to meet independent specifications for the orientation tracker relative to the specifications for the position tracker.
It is also important to track other body members for other aspects of man and machine interaction. Most machines require a user instruction input device, typically actuated by the user's hand. The head, feet, torso and other body parts may also provide input instructions. Persons with special needs, such as paralysis of certain limbs, often use head and leg motions to complete tasks more typically conducted by hand motions.
Inertial navigation systems ("INS") using accelerometers and rate gyroscopes have been used for decades for ships, planes, missiles and spacecraft. Typically, such apparatus have been rather large, at least on the order of 8-10 cm in diameter and twice that in length, weighing on the order of 10 kg. An inertial navigation system is a type of self contained tracking apparatus, as that term is used herein. By "inertial apparatus", it is meant an apparatus that measures its own motion relative to an inertial reference frame through the measurement of acceleration.
A basic type of INS is called Strapdown INS, and consists of three orthogonal accelerometers and three orthogonal rate gyros fixed to the object being tracked. The orientation of the object is computed by jointly integrating the outputs of the rate gyros (or angular rate sensors), whose outputs are proportional to angular velocity about each axis. The position can then be computed by double integrating the outputs of the accelerometers using their known orientations. If the actual acceleration is .alpha. and the acceleration of gravity is g, then the acceleration measured by the triaxial accelerometers will be .alpha..sub.measured =.alpha.+g. To obtain the position it is necessary to know the direction and magnitude of g relative to the tracked object at all times in order to double integrate .alpha.=.alpha..sub.measured -g. Detailed information about inertial navigation systems is available in the literature, such as Broxmeyer, C., Inertial Navigation Systems, McGraw-Hill, New York, (1964); Parvin, R., Inertial Navigation, Van Nostrand, Princeton, N.J. (1962); and Britting, K., Inertial Navigation Systems Analysis, Wiley-Interscience, New York (1971), which are incorporated herein by reference.
A difficulty with using gyroscopes for head-orientation tracking is drift. Drift arises from integrating over time, a signal that is noisy, or has a bias. Drift would make the virtual world appear to gradually rotate about the user's head even when the user is not moving. By measuring the output of an angular rate sensor while it is at rest, it is possible to know its output bias and subtract the bias from all subsequent measurements. However, there is inevitably some random noise produced by the sensor in addition to its bias. In the short term, the angular drift is a random walk with RMS value growing proportional to .sqroot.t. However, the small bias that remains even in a well-calibrated system leads to a drift error that grows as t, which will eventually exceed the Brownian Motion error that grows as .sqroot.t.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,181, issued on Jan. 19, 1993, to Glynn, for "Computer Apparatus Input Device for Three-Dimensional Information," discloses a computer input mouse, which senses six degrees of motion using three accelerometers for sensing linear translation and three angular rate sensors for sensing angular rotation about three axes. The disclosure does not acknowledge or address the problem of drift.
Complete virtual environment systems also suffer from a problem that is not directly related to the problem of tracking body member motions and orientations. A great deal of graphical rendering is required to present to the user a visual image of the environment being simulated. The view to be presented depends on the user's orientation and position. The rendering requires significant computation, which is time consuming. Typically, the computation can not begin until the orientation is known. Thus, the speed of information acquisition is extremely important. It would also shorten the overall system latency if a reliable method of predicting the user's orientation in advance existed.

Inertial orientation tracker apparatus having automatic drift compensation for tracking human head and other similarly sized body


For MIG welding, either in a spray mode without current modulation or in a pulsed mode, of aluminum and aluminum alloys, with the use of a gas shield for at least part of the welding zone, the gas shield is a gas mixture consisting, by volume, of from 0.01% to 1.80% oxygen and from 15% to 98.2% helium, and any balance being argon.

The present invention relates to a MIG (Metal Inert Gas) process for the electric-arc welding of aluminum and aluminum alloys, either in a pulsed mode or in a spray mode without modulated current.
The MIG electric-arc welding process is widely used in industry, including that of welding aluminum.
Shielding gases play an essential role in the performance of this process.
Thus, argon does not allow high welding speeds and may give rise, in automatic welding, to arc instabilities above 500 A. The characteristic shape of the narrow penetrations obtained with argon in spray mode is ill-suited to welding by interpenetration.
Moreover, argon/helium (hereafter Ar/He) mixtures and helium by itself make it possible to increase the depth of penetration and its root width, and hence make it possible to dispense with expensive preparations, the more so the higher the helium content in the Ar/He mixtures.
In other words, for a constant thickness, helium therefore allows welding speeds which increase with its content.
However, although the compactness of the beads is also generally improved by the presence of helium, this is to the detriment of the appearance of the beads, which are less shiny than with pure argon.
Ar/He mixtures therefore present an appreciable advantage in terms of quality and productivity, both in manual welding (for example for a mixture of the Ar/20% He type) and in automatic welding (for example for mixtures of the Ar/50% to 70% He type) with, however, a not insignificant cost associated with the helium content.
For applications not necessarily having to meet these two criteria, it may be judicious to consider other types of mixtures.
Thus, document EP-A-639 423 proposes, for TIG and MIG processes, to use a welding gas of the argon or argon/helium type containing, furthermore, from 100 to 1000 ppm by volume of CO2 and/or O2.
Furthermore, document DE-A-4241982 proposes to use argon or an Ar/He mixture to which has also been added from 80 to 250 ppm by volume of nitrogen.
Document EP-A-442 475 recommends welding with a consumable electrode using a gas mixture consisting of 0.5 to 1.25 vol % carbon dioxide, 30 to 40 vol % helium and the balance being argon.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 4,071,732 relates to a mixture formed from an inert gas containing less than 30% carbon dioxide or less than 5% oxygen; however, the examples in this document describe only mixtures of argon and carbon dioxide with contents of about 5 or 15%.
It should be emphasized that in terms of increasing the performance, none of these processes is fully satisfactory from the industrial standpoint.
Furthermore, in modulated spray MIG welding, that is to say with the welding current being modulated, it has already been recommended to use a shielding gas or gas mixture formed from argon, helium or mixtures thereof, to which from 0.01% to 1.80% of carbon dioxide and/or oxygen have been added, as described in EP-A-909 604. However, in this case, current modulations at a frequency of less than 60 Hz are applied to the current so as to be able to degas the weld puddle in order to remove gaseous inclusions therefrom, particularly diffusable hydrogen, liable to be found therein. This is because MIG processes in spray mode with current modulations are used when it is desired to obtain a high quality of the welded joint, but without actually needing to achieve a high welding speed.
Consequently, the problem that arises is to improve the known MIG welding processes not using modulation of the welding current, particularly MIG processes in unmodulated spray mode, that is to say without modulation of the welding current, and processes in pulsed mode, so as to be able to obtain high performance levels in terms of productivity and welding speed.
This is because MIG processes in unmodulated spray mode (without modulation of the current) and those in pulsed mode are much more suitable when it is desired to improve productivity rather than quality, that is to say the appearance of the welds.
Hitherto, MIG processes in unmodulated mode or in pulsed mode are used little or not at all for welding aluminum or its alloys when the gas shield contains oxygen.
This is because it is usually recognized that the presence of oxygen in the gas shield may have a deleterious effect on the weld given that, when oxygen is incorporated into the gas shield, the oxygen can easily combine with aluminum atoms and result in solid inclusions of alumina (Al2O3) in the weld, which have a negative effect on the mechanical properties of said weld. Moreover, this has been confirmed for high oxygen contents, that is to say oxygen contents greater than 2%, and for high carbon dioxide contents, that is to say, again, contents greater than 2%.
However, conversely, the presence of oxygen in the shielding gas stream results in productivity performance levels which are acceptable from the industrial standpoint.
It therefore follows that the problem that arises is to provide an MIG welding process for aluminum and its alloys resulting both in a high and industrially acceptable productivity and a low level of alumina inclusions in the weld without a major or appreciable impact on the mechanical properties of the welded joints.
The solution provided by the present invention therefore relies on a process for MIG welding, in spray mode without current modulation or in pulsed mode, of aluminum and aluminum alloys, with the use of a gas shield for at least part of the welding zone, wherein the gas shield is a gas mixture consisting of from 0.01% to 1.80% oxygen and from 20% to 98.2% helium, any balance consisting of argon.
Further characteristics of the process of the invention are given below:
the shielding gas contains from 0.9% to 1.80% oxygen and from 15% to 98.20% helium, the balance being argon;
the shielding gas mixture contains at least 1% oxygen, preferably at least 1.1% oxygen, more preferably at least 1.2% oxygen;
the shielding gas mixture contains at most 1.70% oxygen, preferably at most 1.65% oxygen;
a solid meltable wire is used;
the welding speed is from 0.25 m/min. to 1.20 m/min., preferably from 0.60 to 1 m/min.;
the wire speed is from 2.5 m/min. to 20 m/min., preferably from 4 m/min. to 17 m/min.;
the mean welding current is from 40 A to 450 A and/or the mean welding voltage is from 15 V to 40 V;
the process is in pulsed mode and/or the welding current is from 120 A to 350 A and/or the mean welding voltage is from 20 V to 30 V;
the process is in spray mode and/or the welding current is from 180 A to 450 A and/or the mean welding voltage is from 20 V to 39 V.
The present invention therefore relies on precise control of the oxygen content in the helium or an argon/helium mixture, it being necessary for the maximum oxygen content not to exceed about 1.80%, the gas mixture thus formed constituting the gas shield used when implementing the MIG process.
It should be emphasized that any MIG process in spray mode with modulation of the welding current is excluded from the invention.

Process for the MIG welding of aluminum and its alloys with a shielding gas of the Ar/He/O2 type

L""Air Liquide - Socixc3xa9txc3xa9 Anonyme xc3xa1 Directoire et Conseil de Surveillance pour l""Etude et l""Exploitation des Procxc3xa9dxc3xa9s Georges Claude


An apparatus for separating paired battery plates into individual plates is disclosed. The disclosed apparatus has an improved alignment means which assures that the plates are separated about a fixed centerline. The apparatus is also suited for separating a plurality of stacked plates in a single cycle.

1. Field of the Invention
The instant application is directed to a battery plate separating apparatus which is primarily intended for use in the storage battery industry. The battery plate separating device is used in the industry to separate the paired battery plates of a lead casting. The plates which form a storage battery are generally cast of a lead alloy in pairs and are then plated with a lead paste to produce a paired set of battery plates. These paired plates are usually joined in two positions about a centerline through the casting. In order to use the plates in a battery it is required that the paired battery plates be separated.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art technique for separating the battery plates generally consisted of a cutting means disposed so as to contact the center of a workpiece and separate it into two plates. The alignment of the casting was achieved through external alignment gates which located on the outer edge of the casting.
The problem encountered with the prior art devices were two fold. First a casting which was out of square would result in a cut which did not extend along the centerline between the two plates and, therefore, would produce battery plates of less than acceptable quality. Secondly, the means for locating generally required single plates to be located on the conveying means so that plates which were not identical would not have conflicting location points. Attempts to use multiple plates resulted in plates being misaligned and separated in a less than satisfactory manner. The instant invention uses a center location means which assures that the plates will be presented to the separating means along a common center line. This provides an accurate separation, regardless of casting geometry, the exterior portions thereof and conflicting geometry of the individual plates which are stacked.


A frit of the following approximate analysis in percent by weight. ______________________________________ Alumina Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 8 to 12 Boron trioxide B.sub.2 O.sub.3 40 to 60 Sodium monoxide Na.sub.2 O 6 to 14 Lead monoxide PbO 0 to 7 Calcium oxide CaO 6 to 11 Barium oxide BaO 7 to 12 Manganese oxide MnO 2 to 6 Cobalt oxide CoO 0 to 2 Silica SiO.sub.2 Under 1 ______________________________________. when admixed with other materials, in parts by weight as follows ______________________________________ frit 30 to 60 aluminum powder 5 to 60 silicon powder 0 to 8 chromium trioxide 0 to 10 zirconium silicate 0 to 10 copper oxide 0 to 3 bentonite 0.5 to 3 water 70 to 80 ______________________________________. applied to an iron-based part, and then fired at 800.degree. to 950.degree. C. results in a heat-resistant weldable enamel. It is especially suited for automobile engine mufflers.

It is known to enamel parts made of heat-resistant metals, in particular iron and iron alloys, which are exposed to high-temperature gases of combustion, such as combustion chambers, heat exchangers and exhaust systems, including mufflers.
However, the enamels used up to now for this purpose have had several drawbacks. Their heat resistance has been inadequate. Due to the reboiling effect, small bubbles would form in the enamel in the heated areas. Temperature changes have resulted in mechanical damage. There have been problems of adherence at welded seams. Sharp edges on the parts, as around punched holes, have remained insufficiently coated with enamel.
In special enamels of conventional composition based on silicates, as for selfcleaning ovens or for gas-heater flues and heat exchangers, for example, use has been made of aluminum powder. However, enamel slip of such composition containing aluminum powder continually evolves hydrogen, which makes the enamel frothy and causes trouble when it is ground. This has in the past occasionally resulted in dangerous oxyhydrogen gas explosions in the preparation of the slip and in its application. Metallic silicon behaves in a similar manner.

Enameled parts made of heat-resistant metals


A method and an apparatus for forming a panel of packaged integrated circuits is disclosed. A substrate panel having an array of integrated circuits mounted thereon is placed in a mold having a molding chamber. The molding chamber has a multiplicity of adjacent package recesses flowably interconnected by way of a plurality of molding compound flowgates. Each package recess is suitable for receiving at least one associated integrated circuits. A molding compound is passed into the molding chamber by way of a mold gate such that at least some of the molding compound passes through a plurality of different package recesses by way of their associated flowgates. In one embodiment, the mold includes a mold body having a molding chamber with a plurality of ridges that define the multiplicity of package recesses within the molding chamber. The multiplicity of package recesses are flowably interconnected through flowgates formed by the ridges.

Semiconductor based integrated circuits dies are created from a silicon wafer through the employment of various etching, doping, and depositing steps that are well known in the art. Ultimately, the integrated circuit may be packaged by forming an encapsulant around the integrated circuit so as to form a packaged integrated circuit having a variety of pinouts or mounting and interconnection schemes. Plastic is often utilized as an encapsulant. Integrated circuit packages that utilize plastic as an encapsulant are generally less expensive then other packaging options.
Recently, efforts to improve packaging efficiency has resulted in the use of substrate panels during the packaging process. By way of example, substrate panels are commonly used in grid array and chip scale type packages. FIG. 1A is an illustration of a portion of a panel of integrated circuits 100 including a plurality of integrated circuits 102 mounted to a substrate panel 101. The substrate 101 typically provides both mechanical support for the integrated circuits 102 during the encapsulation procedure as well as electrically conductive paths between each of the plurality of integrated circuits 102 and external circuitry (not shown).
One typical arrangement for encapsulating panel based integrated circuits utilizes a conventional mold 150 as shown in FIG. 1B. The conventional mold may be used to encapsulate a plurality of groups of integrated circuits 102, 103 substantially simultaneously. As shown, a pot 120 feeds molding compound 116 contained within pot 120 to each of a pair of encapsulation regions of 122 and 124 by way of runners exemplified by runners 130 and 140. The portions of substrates 100 and 101 that are needed to facilitate routing of the runners are often effectively wasted, which is a significant concern since the substrate material can be very expensive.
Another typical arrangement for encapsulating panel based integrated circuits utilizes a gang pot mold 155 as shown in FIG. 1C. In this embodiment, molding compound 170 is fed into one or more uniform reservoirs 180 each containing a plurality of integrated circuits 190 mounted upon a substrate panel 192 as well as uniform reservoirs 182 each containing a plurality of integrated circuits 188 mounted upon a substrate 194. Unfortunately, the uniform molding of a plurality of distinct integrated circuits may cause significant warpage of the substrate panel which has an adverse effect on the singulation process. This warpage is due to the stresses induced by the setting molding compound since there is no effective stress relief afforded by the substantially uniform cross sectional area of molding compound 170 covering integrated circuits. Additionally, the uniform molding obscures the locations of each of the plurality of integrated circuits which makes subsequent singulation difficult and time consuming.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide more efficient arrangements for encapsulating panels of integrated circuits.

Method for forming a panel of packaged integrated circuits


A fuel absorbent is provided in which polymer particles having a fuel absorbing ability are contained or dispersed in a binder matrix permeable to fuel. The fuel permeates the binder and is absorbed by the polymer particles. A process is provided for making the fuel absorbent by mixing polymer particles having fuel absorbing ability with a binder dissolved in a solvent, to thereby obtain a dispersion mixture having the polymer particles dispersed therein. The dispersion mixture is then dried to cause the polymer particles to be dispersed in a matrix of the binder. The fuel absorbent has excellent durability and fuel absorbing/desorbing ability.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fuel absorbent having excellent durability and fuel absorbing/desorbing ability, and a process for making the fuel absorbent.
2. Description of Related Art
A large amount of fuel evaporates when it is supplied to an automobile fuel tank through a conventional fuel pump nozzle. Part of the fuel in the automobile tank and carburetor float chamber also evaporates, both while the automobile is running and when it is at rest.
In order to prevent evaporative leakage of fuel into the atmosphere, canisters, such as fuel evaporation loss control devices, filled with fuel absorbers are typically attached to, for example, automobile fuel tanks. Similar devices have also been employed to trap fuel evaporating or leaking from other types of fuel storage tanks. In such evaporation loss control devices, charcoal has been typically used as the fuel absorbent.
It has been proposed to use lipophilic polymer gels as fuel absorbents in Japanese Laid Open Patent Application Nos. 67222/1989 and 227861/1989. Such gels can be formed from polypropylene and styrene-butadiene copolymers. These conventional lipophilic gels absorb large amounts of liquid gasoline and its higher boiling point components, and then desorb them reversibly.
Conventional canisters employing such lipophilic gels are constructed so that liquid gasoline and gasoline components having 5 or more carbon atoms are absorbed by the lipophilic gels before they can contact charcoal because they degrade the working capacity of charcoal to absorb gasoline vapors, thus improving the working capacity, stability and regenerative properties of the canisters.
A conventional canister is shown in FIG. 1 (PRIOR ART). In order to obtain the fuel absorbent 25, fine polymer particles 22 can be applied to a thread-like or sheet-like base 9. The surface of the polymer particle 22 is covered with a dispersing agent which serves to bond each polymer particle 22 together to form the fuel absorbent 25. The polymer particle 22 is formed from an organic polymer compound comprising, for example, ethylene-propylene-diene copolymer, which has an excellent capacity to absorb the evaporated fuel. The polymer compound swells when absorbing the fuel, such as gasoline, because of a large affinity between the organic polymer compound and the evaporated fuel.
The fuel absorbent 25, however, is not firmly affixed to the base 9. After absorbing the fuel and becoming swollen, the fuel absorbent 25 is likely to fall off the base 9, which causes clogging in the canister, resulting in a reduced fuel absorbing/desorbing ability.
Another conventional canister is shown in FIG. 2 (PRIOR ART). A coating film 3, formed of urethane or silicone reaction product, can be coated on the surface of the fuel absorbent 25 which is affixed to the base 9. However, when the fuel absorbent 25 absorbs fuel above its absorption saturation ability, it falls off when it is subjected to vibration of the automobile.
Furthermore, friction occurs between bases 9, or between the base 9 and the container wall when the fuel absorbent 25 is subjected to the vibration of the automobile. Such friction will partially disintegrate the coating film 3 and the fuel absorbent 25 can fall off. As a result, the fuel absorbing/desorbing ability of the canister is deteriorated.

Fuel absorbent and a process for making the fuel absorbent


A novel apparatus and methods for automating or robotically controlling a motorized pallet jack are described herein. A fixed threaded shaft connected to the main pallet structure has a threaded engagement with a rotating shaft. The rotating shaft has two motorized drive wheels that each can be independently controlled causing potential rotation of the rotating shaft with respect to the fixed threaded shaft. Independent control of each drive wheel provides the ability to translate the jack, turn the jack, as well as raise and lower the pallet jack.

Pallet Jacks, both manual and motorized, are used to move objects and loads that are often stacked on pallets. Pallet jacks are typically comprised of a fork shaped lifting structure, two front lifting wheels, a rear wheel, a rotatable operating handle and a hydraulic assembly connecting the handle to the fork structure. The pallet jack assembly provides the ability to lift a load from the ground, the safe transport of the load to a desired location, and to return the load to the ground. Some pallet jacks have rear left and right casters for improved stability.
With manually operated pallet jacks, the user applies a force to the rotatable rear handle causing movement of the overall pallet jack and load. After a user places the pallet jack under a desired load, the user raises and lowers the handle which is connected to a hydraulic cylinder. The hydraulic cylinder moves mechanical linkages causing vertical displacement of the forks, and load, relative to the ground. The rotatable handle is then used to steer and move the load to the desired location. Most manual pallet jacks have a lift actuation lever mounted to the handle which releases the pressure in the hydraulic cylinder causing the load to safely return to the ground. Manual pallet jacks are well known in the art of material handling. They have widespread adoption and a low cost point.
Motorized pallet jacks are used for making it easier and potentially safer for the operator to move a load than with manual pallet jacks. Rather than relying on the force generated by the user to move the load, motorized pallet jacks have an electrical motor attached to the rear wheel making it a drive wheel. The torque from the electric motor provides forward and reverse translation of the pallet assembly. Attached to the rotatable handle is a second actuator that controls the direction and speed of the electric motor and pallet assembly. The operator steers the pallet the same as a manual version, via the rotatable rear handle. Lifting the load is most often done via a manual type hydraulic cylinder, or can be accomplished by connecting a pump or lift motor to the batteries of the electric drive motor. With the addition of batteries and controls, the drawback of existing motorized pallet jacks is that they are usual larger than manual versions and can cost substantially more to produce.
Remote controlled pallet jacks are used to move a load without physical interaction of a user. The user instructs the pallet jack via a handled controller, such as a mobile phone or pendant. The rear wheels of the jack are motorized for linear travel and steering is accomplished with an additional motor that spins the drive wheel assembly in the desired direction of travel. To raise the jack forks, yet another motor is used to actuate a hydraulic cylinder. Remote controlled pallet jacks are beneficial to user safety, but the additional motors of the prior art make them substantially large, expensive and complex.
Recently, fully automated pallet jacks have been developed. These systems use a computer system for guiding and controlling the overall assembly, thus eliminating the need for an operator. Automated material movers are most commonly referred to as Automated Guided Vehicles ("AVG") as they look and perform more like a vehicle than a pallet jack. Their designs have been driven by large warehouse and "pick and ship" companies and thus are highly specialized. Although suitable for use in specialized facilities, they are too expensive and specialized to be used as replacement for manual and motorized pallet jacks in most applications.
In these respects, the present invention departs from conventional concepts of the prior art by providing a motorized, remote controlled, or automated pallet jack that can be used in existing manual pallet jack applications. The independently driven dual drive wheels, according to the present invention, provide the ability to move, steer and lift a load through the use of two motors. The present invention provides a more compact and low cost motorized pallet jack than the prior art.

Dual motor drive system for a material handling device


An absorbent article including a liquid-permeable bodyside liner, an absorbent core layer and a breathable outer cover is provided with a hydrophobic foam dampness-inhibiting layer between the absorbent core and the outer cover. The hydrophobic foam dampness-inhibiting layer maintains an air space within the foam. The air space acts as a thermal insulator, dampness-perception inhibitor and moisture passageway. The resulting product is an absorbent garment having a breathable outer cover material with reduced perception of dampness on the outer surface of the outer cover.

The present invention is directed to an absorbent product having at least a top layer, an absorbent core, and a breathable outer cover. A hydrophobic foam dampness-inhibiting layer is disposed directly beneath the breathable outer cover, thereby maintaining an air space within the foam layer. The air space causes a reduction in perceived surface dampness on the outer surface of the breathable outer cover when the absorbent core is wet.
Absorbent articles, such as diapers, child training pants, adult incontinence garments, swim wear and the like, typically include at least a liquid-permeable top layer for direct contact with the wearer, an absorbent core layer, and a substantially liquid-impermeable outer cover. The absorbent core is positioned between the top layer and the outer cover. When the absorbent article is exposed to a liquid insult, liquid passes through the top layer and into the absorbent core. The outer cover prevents the liquid in the absorbent core from leaving the garment.
Many of today""s absorbent garments utilize breathable outer cover materials. Breathable outer cover materials are substantially impermeable to liquids, but are permeable to water vapor. Breathable outer cover materials permit escape of water vapor from the absorbent garment, increasing the garment comfort and reducing skin rashes and other irritations that result when water vapor is maintained inside the garment and heated by the wearer""s body. Many of today""s absorbent garments are highly breathable, for maximum wearer comfort.
One shortcoming of breathable absorbent articles is a cold, damp, clammy feel that often occurs on the outside of the garment, i.e., on the outside of the outer cover. As liquid water in the absorbent core evaporates and passes through the microporous outer cover material, the associated evaporative cooling causes a lowering of temperature of the absorbent core and the adjacent outer cover material, resulting in a clammy, damp-feeling outer cover. The high moisture flux through the outer cover also causes the air in the vicinity of the outer cover surface to be at or near saturation. Humid air has a higher thermal conductivity than dry air, which the fingers can sense, further exacerbating perceptions of dampness.
There is thus a need or desire in the absorbent garment industry for absorbent articles which are highly breathable, yet which reduce or avoid the perceived dampness caused by evaporative cooling.
The present invention is directed to an absorbent article having a breathable outer cover and reduced perceived outer cover dampness. The absorbent article includes at least a liquid-permeable top layer, a breathable, substantially liquid impermeable outer cover, and an absorbent core layer between the top layer and the outer cover. In accordance with the invention, a hydrophobic foam dampness-inhibiting layer is interposed between the absorbent core and the breathable outer cover. This hydrophobic foam layer maintains air within the foam, thereby providing several beneficial functions to the diaper.
One benefit provided by the foam dampness-inhibiting layer is that the air space insulates the absorbent core from the outer cover and slows heat transfer from a person""s fingers touching the outer surface of the outer cover to the diaper, causing the diaper to feel less clammy or cold. Another benefit is that the air space in combination with the foam layer provides a resilient, soft, springy surface to the fingers, giving an aesthetic improvement over feeling just wet gel beneath the outer cover in the absence of the foam layer. In theory, the air space also allows pathways for side diffusion and convection, speeding the removal of moisture from the diaper, especially moisture near the skin. This increased removal of moisture contributes to reduced, therefore improved, skin hydration. Furthermore, the air space separates the wet absorbent core of super-absorbent material, gel or pulp, from resting against the inside surface of the outer cover material, thereby allowing for a much greater surface area in which water molecules may migrate across the gel/air interface. Finally, this invention teaches a foam dampness-inhibiting layer that is permeable enough to not occlude moisture from leaving the diaper in any appreciable amount.
With the foregoing in mind, it is a feature and advantage of the invention to provide an absorbent article having a breathable outer cover in combination with a hydrophobic foam dampness-inhibiting layer that slows heat transfer from the fingers touching the outer cover to an absorbent core, thus reducing clamminess and coolness felt at the outer cover compared to prior art absorbent articles.
It is a further feature and advantage of the invention to provide an absorbent garment from which moisture is readily removed, thereby resulting in reduced skin hydration.
It is also a feature and advantage of the invention to provide an absorbent article having a resilient, soft, springy surface feel.
It is also a feature and advantage of the invention to provide diapers, child training pants, adult incontinence garments, swim wear, and other (e.g. medical) absorbent products which embody the features of the improved absorbent article of the invention.

Breathable diaper outer cover with foam dampness inhibitor


An improved solar collector has a one piece monolithic fiberglass frame and back assembly in which all of the collector components are mounted. A mounting flange integral with the frame facilities securing the collector in place on a roof or other support. The frame has a double wall construction forming internal steps that support the absorber plate and anti-convection cover at the proper locations for maximum heat collection. Further, all fluid connections to and from the absorber plate are made through the frame so that the required plumbing can be brought out in any direction between the frame walls. Suitable insulation is provided in the panel between the absorber plate and the back as well as between the frame walls to minimize radiation losses through the sides and back of the collector.

This invention relates to a solar collector. It relates more particularly to a panel-type solar collector that is particularly appropriate for hot water and space heating applications.
Due to the ever increasing costs of alternative energy sources, heating by solar energy is becoming more prevalent, particularly in homes. The panel-type solar collector with which this invention is particularly concerned, usually includes a large area, blackened absorber plate covered by one or more closely spaced coextensive transparent glass or plastic sheets which trap solar energy by reducing radiation and convection losses from the absorber plate.
The heat so collected is conducted to a fluid medium such as water in intimate thermal contact with the absorber plate. The heated medium is then circulated by a pump in an open loop system as is the case when heating water for a swimming pool. Alternatively, the medium can be circulated in a closed loop including a heat exchanger and used to heat fresh water for cooking or washing or to heat air for space heating purposes.
The factors that most effect the merchantability of solar collectors of this general type are cost, reliability, efficiency and ease of installation. There are many different types of solar collectors presently available. However, invariably these prior units are not entirely satisfactory with respect to one another of the aforesaid criteria.
Some prior collectors employ metal housings and frames for the absorber plates. Consequently, the panels as a whole are relatively heavy and massive, making them expensive to transport to the site and difficult to install. Other conventional panel constructions have absorber plate housings composed of different materials with different coefficients of thermal expansion. Consequently, when these panels are thermally cycled between their operating temperature extremes, cracks and gaps are formed between the various panel parts. Not only do these craks cause heat losses from panels, but they permit moisture to enter the panels. The mositure is deposited as a film on the interior surfaces of the covers inhibiting light transmission to the absorber plates and thereby reducing the overall heating efficiency of the panels.
Still other presently available collectors are designed so that they require a fixed configuation for the plumbing servicing the collectors. While this factor may not be a problem with new construction in which the plumbing can be routed as required, it does create installation difficulties when the panels are retrofitted to an existing building that imposes restraints on the plumbing routes.
Finally, most of the prior panel constructions are relatively expensive to make and install primarily because each panel comprises a relatively large number of parts. Thus, the materials costs are high, but also considerable labor is required to assemble the panels and install them at the site.


Capsulated abrasive compositions and a polishing pad using the same. More specifically, a polishing pad coated with compositions, which contain a capsulated abrasive, thereby used for planarizing interlayer insulating film formed on a semiconductor substrate by chemical mechanical polishing.

1. Technical Field
Capsulated abrasive compositions and polishing pads using the same are disclosed. More specifically, a polishing pad coated with compositions containing a capsulated abrasive that are used for planarizing interlayer insulating films formed on semiconductor substrates by chemical mechanical polishing (hereinafter, abbreviated to 'CMP').
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a CMP process is performed by combining a chemical reaction and a mechanical reaction. The chemical reaction is between the etching solution contained in the slurry and the film to be polished. In the mechanical reaction, a force applied by a polishing pad is transmitted to the abrasive in the slurry, and the abrasive mechanically grinds the chemically reacted film.
In a conventional CMP process, a rotating polishing pad and a wafer are directly contacted under pressure, and the slurry containing the abrasive and the etching solution is provided to the interface between the pad and wafer. That is, the surface of the wafer is planarized by chemical mechanical polishing.
Accordingly, a polishing speed, and a defect and erosion of the polished surface are varied due to the abrasive and the etching solution which are contained in the CMP slurry.
The conventional CMP process using the slurry containing the abrasive requires about 200˜300 mL/min of slurry per wafer, and only about 20˜30% thereof is actually used in the CMP process; the remainder is wasted.
And, when the CMP process using conventional slurry is carried out, it generates waste solution containing the polishing by-product, the abrasive and the etching solution.
For example, when CMP process is applied about 3˜4 times per wafer, about 2˜4 L of CMP slurry is used, and the amount of waste solution generated by CMP process is about 2000˜4000 L per one thousand wafers. As a result, additional costs are required to treat the waste solution.
However it is difficult to reduce the amount of the slurry for the CMP process. Moreover, using reduced amounts of slurry lowers acceptable polishing speed.
As long as conventional overpolishing is applied to the CMP process, there are problems of dishing and erosion due to an irregular distribution of pressure between different materials of the device being processed, the content of the abrasive and the influence of the oxidizing agent containing the metal CMP slurry.

Capsulated abrasive composition and polishing pad using the same


A structural article of manufacture having a specific gravity less than about 1.5, composed of a compressed, dry cementitious composition comprising a particulate aggregate substantially free from particles smaller than about minus 80 mesh.

The present invention relates generally to cementitious compositions and certain forming methods to produce structural components therefrom in commercially significant quantities at acceptable rates of production throughout. The present invention relates more particularly to roofing tiles or the like extruded from a combination of very lightweight and lightweight aggregate, Portland cement composition, with or without fiber reinforcement and cured to possess a substantially reduced density without unacceptable loss of engineering strength or integrity. This invention is broadly applicable to other structural forms where weight savings are required and to other methods of manufacture where the economies realized through extrusion are not paramount.
Cement, and particularly Portland cement, has long been an engineering material of choice for a wide variety of structural components. Mixed with aggregate, such as sand and stone, concrete is probably the most commonly used building material ever employed. Concrete constituents of cement and aggregate are copious and relatively inexpensive. Their abundance is augmented by their ready availability throughout the world. These factors have contributed to the popularity of concrete as a standard building material. Consequently, perhaps no building compositions have been more studied or better understood than cement and concrete. Yet, despite considerable study at the theoretical level, actual production of building components is still largely more art than science.
The formability of concrete has led to its adaptability as a structural building material. Through the controlled addition of varying types and amounts of aggregate, concrete has been employed in literally hundreds of different shapes or forms in the building trades, from cast or block foundations to roofs, with scores of application in between. The present invention is primarily (but not exclusively) concerned with cement-based roofing materials, such as tiles or shakes, and therefore greater emphasis will be placed on these applications; though those skilled in the art will understand from the ensuing discussion how these principles are applicable to a host of other applications as well.
Despite the widespread popularity of cement as a building composition, its use as an effective roofing composition has been hampered and has not seen parallel adoption as, for example, when compared with foundations, walls or floors. There have been successful instances of its use for roofing tiles, especially in Europe, dating back as long as 100 years. However, those earlier attempts were based on manual production; each tile was essentially handmade for its specific application. Then too, those earlier efforts typically adopted cement compositions otherwise formulated for standard concrete forms; there was little or no consideration given to specific compositional variations to achieve weight savings.
The last 100 years have seen continuing interest in the use of cement as a structural composition for roofing materials. Many different suggestions have been made with this goal in mind. None has been entirely successful, in providing a cementitious roofing material having adequate strength which can be produced economically.
The prior art recognizes the need to reduce the weight of normal concrete mixes when forming roofing tiles or the like. The specific gravity of concrete is about 2.1-2.2. This is too heavy to be practical for many roofing applications. Thus, the art has adopted the use of lightweight aggregates to replace stone and sand conventionally used in concrete mixes. This substitution of materials allows producers to achieve densities in the range of about 1.6. Then, based on specific design configurations, roofing materials in the range of 6.5 to 7.0 pounds per square foot installed weight can be achieved. This is about 70% the weight of standard concrete roofing materials.
The use of lightweight aggregates alone cannot, however, yield a product having adequate engineering integrity without strict process controls. Usually these products are cast in forms or molds having the desired configuration for the finished tile. Unlike conventional concrete mixes, concrete with lightweight aggregate require dewatering and then curing under pressure to compact the aggregate and, thus, maintain its physical integrity during the curing process. Otherwise, two problems arise which diminish the strength of the finished product. As excess water evaporates during cure, voids remain which impair strength. Also, the very light aggregates, such as expanded Perlite, have a pronounced tendency to "spring back" after forming pressure removal and during cure, which not only can distort the product but will diminish cured strength as well. Curing under pressure eliminates these problem sources, all other variables being equal.
Casting lightweight aggregate cement and dewatering under pressure can lead to acceptable products in terms of strength and integrity. However, that process is slow and cumbersome. It is not suited to large scale production with minimal waste or defect rates. Conventional extrusion is better adapted for these purposes.
Concrete extrusion is a well known production technique. Though it works well when producing conventional concrete products using conventional concrete formulations, it has heretofore been impractical as a production technique for forming roofing tiles or the like from very lightweight aggregate. Except under laboratory or small scale production conditions, extrusion has proved too sensitive to variations in water content of the mix and the resultant product remains susceptible to spring back and attendant degradation in physical properties.
In consequence of the foregoing, it is apparent that there has been a long felt but unfulfilled need to develop a lightweight roofing product, having a specific gravity less than one half that of concrete. But the art has searched unsuccessfully for more than simply weight savings, the products heretofore elusive must also possess acceptable engineering strength and integrity. Moreover, products of this sort must be economical, which demands commercial scale production with acceptable rates of productivity (i.e., capable of modern manufacturing at the so-called "zero-defect" level).

Structural cementitious composition and method of manufacturing the same


The present invention discloses a Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (nampt) mutant and use thereof. The present invention relates to a nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (Nampt) mutant artificially obtained through genic site-directed mutation. An object of the present invention is to provide a Nampt mutant having a catalytic activity higher than that of a conventional wild type parent, wherein the enzymatic activity of the Nampt mutant provided in the present invention is 1.2-6.9 times of the enzymatic activity of the parent.

Nampt, also known as visfatin or pre-B cell colony enhancer factor (PBEF), is a protein indispensable for the life activities of mammalians that is widely distributed in various tissues, particularly in adipose tissue, liver, muscle and bone marrow of human.
At present, Nampt is considered to have mainly the following 3 functions, 1. Nampt functions to have an enzyme activity, by which nicotinamide and 5′-phosphoribosyl-1′-pyrophosphate (PRPP) are catalyzed to convert into nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) and pyrophosphate, and NMN is then catalytically converted, by nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyltransferase (Nmnat), into nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), a energy substance essential to the cells. 80% of NAD in the mammalian cells is synthesized through this biosynthetic pathway, and Nampt is the rate limiting enzyme of the pathway, thus regulating the intracellular level of NAD. 2. Nampt functions as a pre-B cell colony enhancer factor (PBEF) secreted by lymphocytes, which stimulates the formation of B cell precursors in the presence of Interleukin7 (IL-7) and stem cell factor (SCF). 3. Nampt functions as an adipokine secreted by adipose cells and is involved in various biological functions. In 2005, Fukuhara et al. found that Nampt can activate the insulin receptor signaling by direct interaction with the insulin receptor. Since Nampt is highly expressed in visceral adipocytes, it is referred to as Visfatin.
With the increasing insight into the medicinal and health care effects of NMN, the market demand for NMN grows increasingly. The most environmentally friendly and pollution free method for producing NMN is a biocatalytic method in which nicotinamide and 5′-phosphoribosyl-1′-pyrophosphate (PRPP) are catalytically converted into NMN by Nampt. However, due to the low enzyme activity of the existing wild-type Nampt, the yield is low when Nampt is used in large-scale industrial catalytic production of NMN. As a result, the production cost is high, and the product is less competitive in the market, which severely restrict the industrial application of the biocatalytic production technology of NMN.
Therefore, increasing the catalytic activity of Nampt is a key factor in reducing the biocatalytic synthesis cost of NMN, increasing the industrial application value of Nampt, and promoting the application of biocatalytic technology in industrial production of NMN.

Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) mutant and use thereof

BONTAC BIO-ENGINEERING(SHENZHEN) CO., LTD


A method and system for sealing a gap between a bucket dovetail and a rotor is provided. The dovetail seal includes a first end portion extending from a first extent of the first end portion a predetermined distance along a length of the dovetail seal, a second end portion extending from a first extent of the second end portion a predetermined distance along a length of the dovetail seal towards the first end portion, and a body extending between the first and second end portions. The body includes a U-shaped bend complementary to a sealing groove in a dovetail of a turbine blade. The first end portion includes a converging flared cross-section from the first extent of the first end portion toward the second end portion and the second end portion includes a converging flared cross-section from the first extent of the second end portion toward the first end portion.

The field of the invention relates generally to any type of turbine, and more specifically, to a method and a system for sealing a gap between a turbine bucket dovetail and a turbine rotor using a deformable locking seal.
Gas turbines generally include a turbine rotor (wheel) with a number of circumferentially spaced buckets (blades). The buckets generally may include an airfoil, a platform, a shank, a dovetail, and other elements. The dovetail of each bucket is positioned within the turbine rotor and secured therein. The airfoils project into the hot gas path so as to convert the kinetic energy of the gas into rotational mechanical energy. A number of cooling medium passages may extend radially through the bucket to direct an inward and/or an outward flow of the cooling medium therethrough.
Leaks may develop in the coolant supply circuit based upon a gap between the tabs of the dovetails and the surface of the rotor due to increases in thermal and/or centrifugal loads. Air losses from the bucket supply circuit into the wheel space may be significant with respect to blade cooling medium flow requirements. Moreover, the air may be extracted from later compressor stages such that the penalty on energy output and overall efficiency may be significant during engine operation.
Efforts have been made to limit this leak. However, though the known seals may seal the gap well and may be durable, the known seals cannot be easily disassembled and replaced in the field.

Method and system for sealing a dovetail


An I/O module for an industrial controller provides single terminal outputs that may either sink or source current. This capability is provided through the use of dedicated sourcing and sinking transistors connected to the terminal and controlled by lockout logic ensuring activation of only the appropriate transistor in the correct phasing for sinking or sourcing operation modes.

The present invention relates to industrial controllers used in controlling industrial machines and processes and, more particularly, to I/O modules being part of the industrial controller and providing an electrical interface between the industrial controller and the machine or process.
Industrial controllers are employed in industrial and commercial applications to control the operation of machines and processes. Generally the industrial controller executes a stored control program to control outputs to actuators on the machine or process according to inputs received from sensors on the machine or process.
Industrial controllers differ from conventional computers in providing real-time control subject to predetermined maximum delays. In addition, industrial controllers are normally constructed in a highly modular fashion to permit their hardware to be customized according to different control applications. In this latter regard, inputs and outputs to or from the industrial controller are normally handled by input/output (I/O) modules that may be attached to the industrial controller in different combinations to provide for the necessary electrical interface to the controlled machinery.
Different types of I/O modules may be used for different control applications. Input I/O modules provide specialized input circuits to receive signals from sensors and the like, and output I/O modules provide specialized output circuits to provide signals to actuators or the like. Two common output circuits are alternating current (AC) output circuits, typically employing an SCR or thyristor to switch an AC signal, and direct current (DC) output circuits typically employing a transistor to switch a DC signal. DC output circuits are often distinguished according to whether they provide "sinking outputs" that is, a switchable connection to ground that may receive current or "sourcing outputs" that provide a switchable connection to a power source that may output current.
In certain control applications, it may be desirable to provide both sinking and sourcing DC output circuits in a single I/O module. One method of accomplishing this, to be discussed further below, provides a single "floating" transistor that may be alternately connected to a load (e.g. an actuator) to provide a source of current or with a different connection, a sink of current.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a prior art universal output circuit 10 provides a first terminal 12 and a second terminal 14 connected across a drain and source terminal (respectively) of a field effect transistor (FET) 18.
The gate of the FET 18 is connected to a floating gate drive circuit providing a constant voltage 20 with respect to an isolated system ground 27 as received from a power supply 22. The output of the power supply 22 is floating with respect to an input system power source 24 and a system ground 25.
When the prior art universal output circuit 10 is operating in a sinking mode, an actuator 26 will have one terminal connected to terminal 12 and the other terminal connected to a positive terminal of an externally provided DC power source 28. The negative terminal of the externally provided DC power source 28 is connected to terminal 14. Activation of an optical isolator 30 by digital control signal 32 causes conduction of transistor 34 of the optical isolator 30 pulling down the source terminal of the FET 18 with respect to the gate terminal at voltage 20 to bias the FET 18 into conduction drawing current into terminal 12.
Referring now to FIG. 2, when the prior art universal output circuit 10 is operating in a sourcing mode, the actuator 26 must be disconnected from terminal 12 and connected to terminal 14. The remaining terminal of the actuator 26 is then reconnected to the negative power supply terminal of power source 28 while the positive power supply terminal of power source 28 is connected to terminal 12.
In this mode, activation of the optical isolator 30 by digital control signal 32 again pulls down the source terminal of the FET 18 with respect to the gate terminal, but this time to cause a sourcing of current through terminal 14. This dual mode of operation requires power supply 20 to be floating with respect to the power source 28. In addition, changing the mode of operation requires a rewiring of the actuator 26 with respect to the terminals 12 and 14 and the power source 28. This latter reconnection of terminals either requires changing the connections to the terminals of the I/O module or the use of an internal, high current capacity, multi-pole switch connected between the FET 18 and the terminals 12 and 14.
While this approach provides great flexibility in using outputs of the I/O module, the need to change connections to the single transistor requires undesirable switching circuitry or confusing change in external wiring procedures of actuators to the I/O module terminals. The control of a floating transistor requires a floating power supply that may be susceptible to damage.

Universal sink/source I/O module for industrial controller

Rockwell Automation Asia Pacific Business Ctr. Pte.


The present invention provides antibodies specifically against hDlk-1 and having anti-tumor activity in vivo (anti-hDlk-1 antibodies), a fragments of the antibodies, hybridomas that produce the antibodies, a complex of the antibody or antibody fragment and an agent, a pharmaceutical composition comprising the antibody and the like, a tumor therapeutic agent, a tumor angiogenesis inhibitor, a tumor diagnostic agent, a method for detecting tumor, a kit for detecting and/or diagnosing tumor, etc.

Human Dlk-1 (delta-like 1 homolog (Drosophila); which may be hereinafter referred to as "hDlk-1") is a type I transmembrane (one-transmembrane-type) protein with a full length of 383 amino acid residues which has 6 EGF-like motifs in its extracellular region. The extracellular region shows homology with a Notch/Delta/Serrate family. A hDlk-1 gene has been cloned as a molecule expressed in a GRP (gastrin releasing peptide)-responsive lung small cell carcinoma-derived cell line (Non-Patent Document 1), or as a factor for suppressing preadipocyte differentiation (Non-Patent Document 2). From the viewpoint of the homology of the amino acid sequence of hDlk-1 with that of Delta that is a ligand of a Notch receptor as a cell differentiation regulator, such Dlk-1 is generally referred to as a gene symbol, DLK1. It also has several other gene symbols such as Pref-1 (Non-Patent Document 2), pG2 (Non-Patent Document 3), SCP-1 (Non-Patent Document 4) and ZOG (Non-Patent Document 5). However, these gene symbols basically indicate the same molecule.
Moreover, hDlk-1 is cleaved with an unidentified protease which cuts the neighborhood of cell membrane in the extracellular region of hDlk-1 and it is then secreted into blood. Free hDlk-1 (hDlk-1 extracellular region) is a molecule identical to a glycoprotein called FA-1 (Fetal antigen-1) (Non-Patent Document 6) consisting of 225 to 262 amino acid residues.
The hDlk-1 gene and a gene product thereof are expressed at a high level in undifferentiated, highly proliferative, fetal cells. In particular, the hDlk-1 gene and the gene product thereof are highly expressed in fetal liver, fetal kidney, fetal skeletal muscle, fetal brain and the like. After birth, however, expression of such a hDlk-1 gene and a gene product thereof can not be observed in most of the tissues. In normal adult tissues, the hDlk-1 gene and the gene product thereof are localized in adrenal gland, placenta and hypophysis (Patent Document 1, Non-Patent Document 2).
Furthermore, even in mature tissues, expression of hDlk-1 is observed in cells that are considered to be undifferentiated stem cells or precursor cells. For example, it has been reported that expression of hDlk-1 has been observed in hepatic oval cells that are undifferentiated and have pluripotency in adult liver (Non-Patent Documents 7 and 8) or in mesenchymal stem cells that are the stem cells of bone/cartilage/adipose cells (Non-Patent Document 9). It has been suggested that hDlk-1 is associated with the properties of such tissue stem cells, such as the maintenance of undifferentiation ability.
Such an expression pattern of hDlk-1 restricted in fetal cells or stem cells and a family of genes/gene products having EGF-like motifs (Notch-receptor, Notch ligand (Delta, Jagged, serrate), etc.) generally controls the growth or differentiation of cells by intercellular interaction via EGF-like motifs. Thus, it has been suggested that hDlk-1 also has such functions. In fact, it has been well known that expression of hDlk-1 is decreased concomitant with differentiation of adipose precursor cells and that adipose differentiation is suppressed, if the hDlk-1 gene is forced to express in adipose precursor cells (Non-Patent Document 2). However, at the present time, details regarding a molecule (a ligand) interacting with hDlk-1 are unknown.
On the other hand, it has been reported that the hDlk-1 gene and the gene product thereof are expressed with a high frequency in various types of cancers or tumors. The types of cancers, in which expression of hDlk-1 has been confirmed so far, include: solid cancers such as neuroendocrine tumor, neuroblastoma, glioma, neurofibromatosis type 1, small cell lung cancer, liver cancer, kidney cancer and ovarian cancer (Patent Documents 1 and 2 and Non-Patent Documents 1, 3, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14); and blood cancers such as myelodysplastic syndrome (Patent Document 3 and Non-Patent Documents 15 and 16) and acute myelocytic leukemia (Non-Patent Document 16). It has been reported that cell growth is accelerated if a hDlk-1 gene is introduced into a K562 cell that is an erythroleukemia cell line (Non-Patent Document 16) and also that, if such a hDlk-1 gene is introduced into glioblastomas, it causes the disappearance of contact inhibition of cells as well as acceleration of cell growth, so that anchorage-independent cell growth ability can be achieved. The relationship between hDlk-1 and carcinogenesis has been suggested (Non-Patent Document 17).

Anti-hDlk-1 antibody having an antitumor activity in vivo

LivTech Inc. — Teikyo University Biotechnology Research Center


A system and method are disclosed for returns forecasting for a retail store inventory of one or more supply chain entities. Embodiments include receiving a current state of items in a supply chain network, receiving a sales time series and a returns time series, computing a returns forecast comprising an expected quantity of a particular product to be returned for a future time period using a sales forecast a and a transfer function estimated from the sales time series and the returns time series.

A significant portion of the items sold by a retailer are returned to their stores. A typical brick and mortar store can often expect 8-10% of the items it sells to be returned, while an online store may see returns of nearly 40%. Traditionally, retailers approach this problem by projecting future returns based directly on past returns. However, this and other approaches usually fail to accurately predict the quantity and timing of future returned items, which is undesirable.

Forecasting returns for retail demand planning


A system and method for providing user interface for user-specified context is disclosed. According to one embodiment, a computer-implemented method for providing a context-based user interface comprises providing a collection of user interface cards based on a user's context and receiving a user's selection of a plurality of user interface cards from the collection of user interface cards. The plurality of user interface cards is saved on a user's device, and the plurality of user interface cards comprises a user interface card that has a data portion and a form portion. The form portion of the user interface card is updated from a card repository. The data portion of the user interface card is separately received from a remote device or a remote server. The user interface card is displayed on the user's device with an updated form portion and the received data portion.

Enterprises strive to serve existing customers, expand business, improve information access, and provide richer user interactions while driving down the cost. Increasing demands for applications exploiting vast amounts of information and data available on the Internet and enterprise servers require an enterprise platform that is capable of handling sophisticated data generation, processing, communication, and presentation. New business opportunities based on cloud-access capabilities are raising customer expectations and require improvement for user interactions and user experiences. One of the key areas to deliver business value at the enterprise application level is to integrate collaboration capabilities into business and workflow processes, foster new ways of user interactions and experiences.
When multiple users collaborate on a project, different tasks are given to respective users based on their job roles and responsibilities. User experiences on an enterprise application must be adaptable to accommodate the support of multiple users of different job roles, simultaneously or through the workflow process, by providing distinct user interfaces based on their job roles. Resultantly, enterprise applications require frequent updates or plug-ins to provide streamlined support for workflow management and lifecycle management.
Inexperienced users or users who are new to their roles must familiarize themselves with the given user experiences on enterprise applications, requiring time and effort to learn new functions and features. Oftentimes, those users use different devices and tools that run on different hardware and platforms, therefore enterprise applications must support a wide variety of devices, tools, and hardware to allow the users to continue to work with the devices and tools that they are comfortable with. To expedite a user's learning, conventional knowledge-based models such as Q&A, FAQs, are commonly used. However, many enterprise applications have limited capability and scalability in expanding capability and user training to efficiently transfer and update system components based on expert knowledge. Real-time collaboration becomes difficult and inadequate among users of different roles and knowledge levels, particularly when they are collaborating with different types of machines at different places.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System and method for providing user interface cards


Provided herein is a method of treating a subject believed to have suffered a stroke. This method comprises administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a composition comprising conivaptan or an active derivative, stereoisomer, pro-drug, or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

Stroke is a general term for acute brain damage resulting from disease of blood vessels. This presents a serious problem to society, with about 500,000 people dying from or becoming permanently disabled by stroke in the United States each year. Stroke can be classified into two main categories: hemorrhagic stroke (resulting from leakage of blood outside of the normal blood vessels) and ischemic stroke (cerebral ischemia due to lack of blood supply).
The three main mechanisms of ischemic stroke are thrombosis, embolism and systemic hypoperfusion (with resultant ischemia and hypoxia). In each of these types of stroke, the area of the brain that dies as a result of the lack of blood supply thereto is called an infarct. Obstruction of a cerebral artery resulting from a thrombus which has built up on the wall of a brain artery is generally called cerebral thrombosis. In cerebral embolism, the occlusive material blocking the cerebral artery arises downstream in the circulation (e.g. an embolus is carried to the cerebral artery from the heart). Because it is difficult to discern whether a stroke is caused by thrombosis or embolism, the term thromboembolism is used to cover both these types of stroke. Systemic hyperfusion may arise as a consequence of decreased blood levels, reduced hematocrit, low blood pressure, or inability of the heart to pump blood adequately.
When symptoms of stroke last less than 24 hours and the patient recovers completely, the patient is said to have undergone a transient ischemic attack (TIA). The symptoms of TIA are a temporary impairment of speech, vision, sensation or movement. Because a TIA is often thought to be a prelude to full-scale stroke, patients having suffered a TIA are candidates for prophylactic stroke therapy with anticoagulation agents (e.g., coumarin and heparin) or antiplatelet agents (such as aspirin and ticlopidine), for example.
Thrombolytic agents, such as tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), have been used in the treatment of thromboembolic stroke. These molecules function by lysing the thrombus causing the ischemia. Such drugs are believed to be most useful if administered as soon as possible after acute stroke (preferably within 3 hours) in order to at least partially restore cerebral blood flow in the ischemic region and to sustain neuronal viability. In that such drugs exacerbate bleeding, their use in hemorrhagic stroke is contra-indicated.
It has been noted that CD11a and CD18 are upregulated in leukocytes from patients who have undergone ischemic stroke or a TIA (Kim et al., J. Neurolog. Sci. 128(1):45-50 (1995)). Schroeter et al. (J. Neuroimmunology 55(2):195-203 (1994)) found that increased expression of ICAM-1 on vessels and leukocytes occurred following cerebral ischemia induced by permanent occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) in the rat.
The role of cell adhesion molecules in brain injury following transient MCA occlusion in the rat has been studied (Matsuo et al., Brain Research 656:344-352 (1994)). These researchers found that treatment with individual antibodies against cell adhesion molecules reduced edema formation, infarct size and neutrophil accumulation following reperfusion. However, to date, anti-adhesion therapy has not proved to be an effective treatment for stroke, and current established therapies for stroke are limited.

Compositions and methods for treating stroke


The present technique relates to an imaging element, a driving method of the imaging element, and an electronic device that can improve image quality of an image in a case where two or more read scans of pixel signals are performed in parallel. The imaging element includes a pixel area including a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix, a vertical drive circuit that drives the pixels in the pixel area row-by-row, and a column signal processing circuit that can read pixel signals of a plurality of rows in the pixel area in one horizontal period. The vertical drive circuit performs two or more read scans of the pixel signals in the pixel area in parallel and controls a timing of moving a read row of each read scan by equal to or more than a predetermined amount of movement on the basis of a position of a read row of another read scan. The present technique can be applied to, for example, a CMOS image sensor.

In the past, an imaging element that can read pixel signals of a plurality of rows in one horizontal period has been proposed (for example, see PTL 1). Furthermore, when the pixel signals of a plurality of rows can be read in one horizontal period, two or more read scans of the pixel signals can also be performed in parallel, for example.

Imaging element, driving method of imaging element, and electronic device

Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation


According to one embodiment, an electronic apparatus includes a hardware processor. The hardware processor executes first authentication processing and second authentication processing when the electronic apparatus is powered on or rebooted. The hardware processor executes the first authentication processing using first data stored in the nonvolatile storage region after executing the second authentication processing in a case of executing the second authentication processing when the electronic apparatus is powered on or rebooted. The hardware processor deletes the first data from the nonvolatile storage region when setting of not executing the second authentication processing upon the electronic apparatus is powered on or rebooted is made.

In recent years, various electronic apparatuses such as notebook computers and tablet computers are widely used. These electronic apparatuses comprise mass storage such as a hard disk drive (HDD) and a solid-state drive (SSD) as an external storage device. To protect data stored in the mass storage from unauthorized access, some users use software to encrypt the data in the storage device, more specifically, the data written to the storage device. This software is called disk encryption software or the like. The disk encryption software can also encrypt data written to an externally-connected storage device such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) flash drive.
Most disk encryption software includes instructions for a pre-boot authentication (PBA) function. The PBA function is a function of performing user authentication before an operating system (OS) is loaded, for example, when an electronic apparatus is powered on. A basic input/output system (BIOS) provided in an electronic apparatus also includes instructions for a user authentication function. Therefore, some encryption software PBA functions have user authentication process omission settings so that the users do not have to go through repetitious authentication processes such as password input processes. When the user makes the setting, the disk encryption software PBA function stores a user password in a predetermined safe region in advance and performs user authentication by using the password stored in the predetermined region without prompting the user to input the password.
BIOS user authentication functions also have settings which allow the users to omit user authentication processes such as password input processes. For example, in the user authentication process using a password, a state where no password is set corresponds to a state where the user authentication process omission setting is made by the user.
However, if the user performs the user authentication process omission setting for the BIOS user authentication function as well as the user authentication process omission setting for the encryption software PBA function, and if, for example, the electronic apparatus is stolen, the operation of the electronic apparatus proceeds up to the loading of the OS without assigning the user a single authentication process once the electronic apparatus is powered on.

Method, apparatus, and medium for using a stored pre-boot authentication password to skip a pre-boot authentication step


A method for detecting an object includes acquiring a first video of a source domain where a vision-based object detector is trained. Change detection is performed on the first video to collect one or more first localized, unlabeled sample images from the source domain. A second video is acquired of a target domain where the vision-based object detector is used. Change detection is performed on the second video to collect one or more second localized, unlabeled sample images from the target domain. A domain adaptation parameter is determined based on, one or more domain shift properties between the one or more first localized, unlabeled sample images from the source domain and the one or more second localized, unlabeled sample images from the target domain. The vision-based object detector is adapted to be used for object detection in the target domain based on the domain adaptation parameter.

Parking demand management systems are used to determine whether one or more vehicles are occupying a predetermined space. For example, parking demand management systems may make on-street parking occupancy determinations, parking lot occupancy determinations, and parking garage occupancy determinations. Such systems may use vision-based object (e.g., vehicle) detection as a step in the determination process. Vision-based object detection achieves accurate results with proper training and application of object classifiers.
To achieve high accuracy in vehicle detection, the classifier is applied to the same scenarios for which it is trained. For example, the classifier may be trained for detection at a particular site, during particular conditions (e.g., clear skies, daytime etc.), with a particular camera position. This is referred to as the source domain. The classifier may then be applied at the same site, during the same conditions, with the same camera position, to yield accurate vehicle detection results. This is referred to as the target domain.
This constraint in training and applying is often referred to as same domain application (i.e., source domain=target domain). When the site or conditions of the target domain changes (i.e., source domain target domain), the classifier needs to be either re-trained or domain adaptation is required to maintain accurate performance. Re-training is an effective way to maintain accurate performance if the user has sufficient time to collect and label a plurality of samples. Domain adaptation is a method to reduce the effort needed for re-training. What is needed, therefore, is an improved system and method for object detection when the target domain is different from the source domain.