The present invention is a method for producing a polysiloxane represented by formula (1), which includes a condensation step wherein a hydrolysis/polycondenzation of a starting material monomer that forms a constituent unit is carried out in a reaction solvent that contains at least one alcohol that is selected from among secondary alcohols having 4-6 carbon atoms and tertiary alcohols having 4-6 carbon atoms. The method for producing a polysiloxane of the present invention suppresses problems such as gelation that occurs during the production, and increase in the molecular weight or gelation that occurs during storage after the production or the like.

When producing a semiconductor related product or a liquid crystal related product, a finer or multi-layer pattern has been increasingly formed on a substrate for a semiconductor device or a liquid crystal display in order to deal with a demand for an increase in degree of integration, an increase in operation speed, implementation of multifunctionality, and the like. Therefore, it has become indispensable to planarize the surface of the substrate. A coating liquid that produces a silica-based film (spin-on-glass (SOG) film) through curing has been generally used as a planarization film or an interlayer insulating film when producing a substrate for a semiconductor device or a liquid crystal display. Specifically, a coating liquid that includes an alkoxysilane hydrolysate or the like is applied to a substrate by spin coating or the like, and the resulting film is heated to remove a volatile component to obtain a silica-based film that includes an Si—O—Si bond.
Since the planarization film and the interlayer insulating film are generally heated during the substrate production process, a resin that exhibits higher heat resistance has been desired. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a polysiloxane that includes a carbon-carbon unsaturated bond and a hydrosilyl group, and is capable of undergoing hydrosilation, as a heat-resistant resin raw material. Patent Document 1 states that various organic solvents may be used as a medium for dissolving the polysiloxane. In the examples of Patent Document 1, a mixed solvent of toluene and ethanol is used as the reaction solvent. However, Patent Document 1 states that the resulting polysiloxane could not be dissolved in toluene. Patent Document 1 does not disclose or suggest that the storage stability of the polysiloxane during or after production varies depending on the type of reaction solvent.
Patent Document 2 also discloses a polysiloxane that can be dissolved in an organic solvent and has a structure that allows hydrosilation. Patent Document 2 describes an aromatic hydrocarbon, an ether, and an ester as the reaction solvent that can be used when subjecting the raw material monomer to hydrolysis and polycondensation. Patent Document 2 describes that a lower alcohol such as methanol, ethanol, and 2-propanol may be used in combination with the above nonpolar solvent. In the examples of Patent Document 2, a mixed solvent of xylene and 2-propanol is used as the reaction solvent. Patent Document 2 does not disclose or suggest that the storage stability of the polysiloxane during or after production varies depending on the type of reaction solvent.
Patent Document 3 discloses a curable coating composition that includes a polysiloxane having a structure that allows hydrosilation, and an organic solvent that does not include a hydroxyl group, and has a boiling point of 80° C. to 130° C. Patent Document 3 states that the molecular weight of the polysiloxane may increase during storage, or the coating composition may gel, or paint coat particles may occur when the organic solvent includes a hydroxyl group.
As described above, a method has been known that subjects a raw material monomer to hydrolysis and polycondensation when producing a polysiloxane that includes a carbon-carbon unsaturated bond and a hydrosilyl group, and is capable of undergoing hydrosilation. It has also been known to use various organic solvents as the reaction solvent. But it has not been known that a capability to prevent gelation during production, and the storage stability of the polysiloxane after production vary depending on the type of organic solvent. It has been known that the storage stability of a curable coating composition containing a polysiloxane that includes a carbon-carbon unsaturated bond and a hydrosilyl group, and is capable of undergoing hydrosilation, is impaired when the curable coating composition includes an organic solvent having a hydroxyl group, and the molecular weight of the polysiloxane may increase, or gelation may occur. Specifically, selection of the reaction solvent has not been known as a means for efficiently producing a polysiloxane or product having stable quality by preventing gelation or an increase in molecular weight of the polysiloxane. Since it has been known that an organic solvent having a hydroxyl group is undesirable as the solvent included in the composition, the above documents teach away from using an organic solvent having a hydroxyl group in order to solve the above technical problem.


An adsorbent is described, which has a pore structure suitable for the selective and efficient removal of bitter components from fruit juice, and which does not contain ionic functional groups or the like in the structure thereof and can be easily handle, and more specifically, which comprises a porous crosslinked polymer produced from an aromatic vinyl monomer compound, and in which the specific surface area per dry unit weight, the pore volume per water-wet unit volume, and the specific surface area attributable to pores having a radius not smaller than 50 .ANG. per water-wet unit volume are not smaller than respective specific values. A process for producing the adsorbent and a method of treating fruit juice using the adsorbent are also described.

The quality of fruit juice, in particular juice of citrus fruits, varies depending on the kinds of the plants, growing district, harvest, picking time, storage time and method, juicing time, etc. It has hence been difficult to provide a stabilized good flavor by the mere clarification treatment for removing pulp. One method which is currently being conducted for stabilizing the quality of citrus fruit juice is to selectively remove bitter components from the fruit juice. One known technique for carrying out the above method is to bring fruit juice into contact with an adsorbent to adsorb and separate bitter components only. Examples of such bitter components include naringin, which is a representative flavonoid compound. Although limonin, which is a terpenoid compound characteristic of citrus fruits, and the like are also known as other bitter components, the content thereof is very low. Consequently, the main purpose of bitterness removal is to remove naringin. In order for this compound, having a molecular weight of about 500, to be selectively and efficiently removed with an adsorbent, it is necessary to precisely design the hydrophobicity, i.e., chemical structure, and the pore structure of the adsorbent before the adsorbent is synthesized.
An example of bitterness removal with an adsorbent is described in, e.g., Journal of Food Industry Society of Japan, Vol 26, No. 1 (1979), pp. 1-5, in which an adsorbent comprising a styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer is used. However, the adsorbent shown in the above reference is not an adsorbent designed and synthesized for bitter-component removal. This prior art adsorbent has a specific surface area of about 700 m.sup.2 per g of the dry adsorbent and is unsatisfactory in treating ability. In JP-A-60-153780 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,458) (the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application") is disclosed a method of bitter-component removal using a styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer. The adsorbent used in this prior art technique also has a specific surface area of from 500 to 700 m.sup.2 per g of the dry adsorbent. Further, JP-W-2-503516 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,083) (the term "JP-W" as used herein means an "unexamined published International patent application based on a Japanese patent application") discloses a method in which a resin produced by post-crosslinking a similar styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer and then incorporating ionexchange groups thereinto to hydrophilize the crosslinked copolymer is used. This prior art resin is disadvantageous in that the process for producing the resin is complicated and involves many steps. In addition, the above resin has drawbacks in practical use in that handling thereof is troublesome, for example, because the resin should be treated with a chemical, e.g., an acid or alkali, before or after use for bitter-component removal since the resin contains ion-exchange groups.

Adsorbent, process for producing the same, and method of treating fruit juice


A distance measuring method for performing distance measurement by projecting a distance measuring light to an object to be measured and by receiving a reflected light, comprising: a step of projecting for scanning the distance measuring light which has at least one luminous flux with a predetermined spreading angle; a step of emitting the light by pulsed light emission at least two times during a period when the luminous flux traverses the object to be measured; a step of measuring a distance by receiving the reflected light at least two times; and a step of averaging the results of the distance measurement.

The present invention relates to a distance measuring method and a distance measuring device for measuring a distance by projecting a laser beam as a distance measuring light to an object to be measured and by receiving a reflection light from the object to be measured. In particular, the present invention relates to a distance measuring method and a distance measuring device for projecting the distance measuring light for scanning.
When a distance to an object to be measured is measured by projecting a laser beam as a distance measuring light toward the object to be measured and by using a reflected light from the object to be measured, two methods are known as a distance measuring method: a collimation type electro-optical distance measuring method for performing distance measurement to the object to be measured on 1:1 basis, and a scanning type electro-optical distance measuring method for performing distance measurement by receiving a reflection light from the object to be measured while projecting a distance measuring light for scanning.
When a laser beam is emitted from a light source, there is intensity distribution normally within a light emission plane due to interference. As shown in FIG. 10, in a cross-section 3′ of a distance measuring luminous flux of the laser beam, i.e. a distance measuring light 3, speckle patterns 4 occur due to the intensity distribution. Therefore, the projected distance measuring light 3 also contains speckle patterns 4 caused by the intensity distribution. For this reason, when a distance is measured according to a reflected light from the center of the luminous flux of the laser beam projected to the object to be measured or when a distance is measured according to a reflected light from the edge region of the luminous flux, difference occurs in the measured distance due to the speckle patterns.
In the collimation type electro-optical distance measuring method as described above, measurement is made by collimating the central portion of the luminous flux of the distance measuring light. As a result, it is a measurement in a fixed condition, and the measurement can be repeatedly performed. Therefore, the values of the measured distance are averaged, and this makes it possible to reduce fluctuation of the values of measured distance caused by the speckle patterns.
As disclosed in the Japanese Patent Publication No. 2580148 or in JP-A-2000-162517, the influence of the speckle pattern is eliminated by homogenizing phase unevenness and light intensity unevenness of the distance measuring luminous flux.
On the other hand, according to the scanning type electro-optical distance measuring method, the distance measuring light 3 moves with respect to the object 2 to be measured as shown in FIG. 11, and the center of the object 2 to be measured is not always at the center of the cross-section 3′ of the distance measuring luminous flux. The object 2 to be measured may be in the edge region of the distance measuring luminous flux cross-section 3′. As a result, when the distance is measured, the results of the measurement may include the result of distance measurement at the center of the distance measuring luminous flux and the result of distance measurement at the edge region of the distance measuring luminous flux. FIG. 11 shows a prism for distance measurement installed on a pole 1 as an object 2 to be measured, and the distance measuring light 3 is projected to scan within a scanning surface 5.
When a distance is measured in the edge region of the distance measuring luminous flux cross-section 3′, a weighted position varies when the distance measuring light is detected according to the light amount in the edge region and due to the influence of speckle patterns. As a result, deviation occurs in the timing of detection.
An electro-optical distance measuring device measures a distance according to a phase difference between a reflected distance measuring light 6 and an internal reference light or according to the time obtained from deviation in time. If there is phase deviation in the reflected distance measuring light 6, serious error may occur in the value of the measured distance.
Because the distance measuring light 3 is continuously projected for scanning, measurement cannot be repeatedly performed under condition that the object 2 to be measured is collimated, and the influence of the speckle pattern cannot be excluded. Therefore, when distance is measured by the scanning type electro-optical distance measuring method, measurement is made for one time based on partial reflection from the object to be measured of the single distance measuring luminous flux, and the measured distance value is under the influence of the speckle pattern of the distance measuring luminous flux.
Further, if the distance measuring light used for distance measurement does not have a certain predetermined light intensity, S/N ratio of the reflected light from the object to be measured is decreased, and this results in the problem of lower measurement accuracy. In case the measurement can be performed repeatedly, the measured values of the repeated measurement can be averaged, and this increases the measurement accuracy. However, in the scanning type electro-optical distance measurement with a single measuring operation, it is necessary to increase light intensity (light amount) of the distance measuring light.

Distance measuring method and distance measuring device


A foot, leg and lower body exercise system comprising a housing having a generally rectangular configuration. The housing comprises an upper plate and lower plate. There are also two side plates and two end plates there between. The length of the housing is greater than the width of the housing. The width is greater than the height. The housing has two equally configured rectangularly shaped openings in the upper plate. Each of the openings has a slot along each of the long edges of the rectangular shaped openings. There is further provided a pair of foot slides mated to the upper plate and a foot rest mated with rectangular slots of the base plate. The system also comprises a reciprocating mechanism to allow the forward and rearward motion of the foot slides.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a foot, leg and lower body exercise system and more particularly pertains to a system to safely and efficiently provide exercise for a user""s feet and legs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of other known means and apparatuses for the exercise of a user""s legs, feet and lower body is known in the prior art. More specifically, other known means and apparatuses for the exercise of a user""s legs, feet and lower body previously devised and utilized for the purpose of providing exercise for the user""s legs, feet and lower body are known to consist basically of familiar, expected, and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which has been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,807,212 to Nelson discloses a leg exerciser for use under a desk. U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,668 to McIlvain et al discloses an apparatus for the rehabilitation of an ankle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,667 to Watterson discloses a multipurpose exerciser. Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,434,981 to Norton discloses a cross country skiing simulating exerciser.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe foot, leg and lower body exercise system that allows for safely and efficiently providing exercise for a user""s feet, legs and lower body.
In this respect, the foot, leg and lower body exercise system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of safely and efficiently providing exercise for a user""s feet, legs and lower body.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved foot, leg and lower body exercise system which can be used for safely and efficiently providing exercise for a user""s feet, legs and lower body. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of other known means and apparatuses now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved foot, leg and lower body exercise system. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved foot, leg and lower body exercise system and method which has all the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.
To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a foot, leg and lower body exercise system for safely and efficiently providing exercise for a user""s feet, legs and lower body. The system comprises, in combination, several components. First there is provided a housing. The housing has an upper plate with an inside and an outside, and a lower plate with an inside and an outside. There are also provided two end plates and two side plates there between. The end plates and side plates are oriented perpendicular to the plane of the upper and lower plates. The end and side plates are coupled to the edges of the upper and lower plates thereby forming a generally rectilinear configuration. The length of the housing is greater than the width of the housing. The width to height ratio of the housing is about 7:1. The lower plate has an adjustment aperture located to one side of the lower plate. The upper plate has two equally configured rectangularly shaped openings. Each of the rectangularly shaped openings are equally spaced from the side edges of the upper plate. Each of the openings has a recess along each of the long edges of the rectangularly shaped openings. There is next provided a pair of like configured foot slides. Each slide has a rigid portion comprising a foot rest and a base plate. The base plate has an upper face and a lower face. The base plate has a flat rectangular configuration with forward and rearward edges, as well as side edges there between. Slots are provided adjacent to the rearward edge of each base plate. The side edges of the base plate are configured to be slidably mated to the recesses of the openings of the upper plate so as to provide positive tracking along the recesses in a forward and rearward movement. Each base plate has a plurality of rectangular apertures on the upper face. These apertures are located adjacent to the forward edge. Also provided are a plurality of upstanding protuberances located on the upper face of the base plate across the midline. The foot rest has an upper end and a lower end with two side edges there between. The foot rest is configured in a generally xe2x80x9cZxe2x80x9d shaped form. There are provided two wide prongs extending from the lower end of the foot rest to be receivably loosely mated with the slots of the base plate. The foot rest also has a downwardly extending locking arm which is rotatably coupled to the underside of the foot rest and is capable of being securely retained by any one of the protuberances of the base plate. This allows for the foot rest to be maintained in any of a plurality of angles. There is next provided a collapsible portion of the foot slides. The collapsible portion is operatively coupled to each foot slide and also coupled to the base plate at the side ends of the base plate. The peripheral edges of the collapsible portion are coupled to the inside of the housing top thereby closing off the openings during reciprocation of the foot rests and base plates. There is next provided a reciprocating mechanism comprising a flexible pulley cable, a plurality of pulleys, a plurality of mounting brackets and a plurality of housing brackets. The pulleys are oriented in a rectangular configuration within the confines of the housing. The axes of the pulleys are located along the first and second quarter dividing line of the long axis of the lower plate and the third and fourth quarter dividing line of the long axis of the lower plate. The pulleys are rotatably coupled to, and mounted on, the fixed mounting brackets. The mounting brackets in turn are coupled to the inside of the lower plate. The mounting brackets also couple the flexible pulley cable to the lower face of the base plate of the foot slides. This coupling between the foot slides through the cable and pulleys allows the foot slides to reciprocate forwardly and rearwardly. This allows for a reciprocating motion of the foot slides. Lastly there is provided an adjustment turnbuckle which is coupled to the pulley cable to form a continuous loop. The adjustment turnbuckle is located within the housing. The turnbuckle is accessible through the adjustment aperture of the lower plate to thereby vary the tension of the cable during operation and use.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims attached.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved foot, leg and lower body exercise system which has all of the advantages of the prior art other known means and apparatuses and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved foot, leg and lower body exercise system which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved foot, leg and lower body exercise system which is of durable and reliable constructions.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved foot, leg and lower body exercise system which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such foot, leg and lower body exercise system economically available to the buying public.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a foot, leg and lower body exercise system for safely and efficiently providing exercise for a user""s feet, legs and lower body.
Lastly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved foot, leg and lower body exercise system comprising a housing having a generally rectilinear configuration. The housing comprises an upper plate and lower plate. There are also two side plates and two end plates there between. The length of the housing is greater than the width of the housing. The width is greater than the height. The housing has two equally configured rectangularly shaped openings in the upper plate. Each of the openings has a slot along each of the side edges of the rectangularly shaped openings. There is further provided a pair of foot slides mated to the upper plate and a foot rest mated with the rectangular slots of the base plate. The system also comprises a reciprocating mechanism to allow the forward and rearward motion of the foot rests.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

Foot, leg and lower body exercise system


Auxiliary forceps are provided for video-assisted minimally-invasive surgery, such as hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery, the forceps being intended for operation by a surgeon's non-dominant hand inserted through an incision for entering a patient's natural body cavity. The forceps comprises a plurality of actuating plates hinged elastically to one another and having a size and shape suitable for operation when held by the tips of two fingers. The forceps also has a plurality of jaws extending from each actuating plate, and a member for temporarily connecting the forceps to the surgeon's hand so as to maintain the forceps at an adjustable distance from the hand of not greater than a predetermined value. In addition, a structure is provided for housing the jaws relatively close to one another, within which the jaws are engaged during operation when the forceps is not in use.

Traditional hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery (or HALS) combines conventional minimally-invasive laparoscopic surgical techniques with those of classical open field surgery. More specifically, by the laparoscopic approach, through application of trocars (generally speaking, three access points) for the introduction of instruments used during surgical intervention by a laparoscope (either of the optical fiber type or those equipped with a CCD camera), a surgeon can visually access and maneuver relevant inner portions of a patient's abdomen. The diameter of the incisions made is typically between about 5mm and about 25 mm. Through insufflation of an inert gas, a working space, known as a pneumaperitoneum, is then created in the abdomen. This enables the surgeon to operate readily, without hindrance due to a lack of adequate space. In addition, an incision about 5-7 cm long is made near the first access points or incisions, through which the surgeon may introduce his/her generally non-dominant hand into the patient's abdomen and perform support operations (such as tissue displacement, retraction of organs to be operated on, palpation, interaction with other instruments, etc.).
To prevent loss of pneumaperitoneum through the incision(s), several types of sealing devices have been developed. These devices are intended to be applied to an incision so as to allow passage of the surgeon's hand therethrough, while preventing gas from escaping. Currently available sealing devices are of several types, for instance, either those having an adhesive flange to be secured to the abdominal wall or devices of an inflatable type. A conventional sealing device of the inflatable type that is considered especially comfortable and easy to use is one having a substantially tubular inflatable sleeve, with a twisted inner cross section, for providing a seal against the surgeon's arm once her/his hand has been inserted through the sleeve. The device also has a pair of sealing rings for closing the innerside and the outerside of the abdominal wall corresponding to the incision.
Hand-assisted laparascopic surgery has been successfully applied to a wide range of surgical procedures for example gastric resection, gastric by-pass, transhiatal esophgectomy, pancreatic and hepatic surgery, nephrectomy, colorectal surgery, aortic aneurysm repairs, etc. The main advantages of this technique as compared to conventional laparascopic surgery is that the surgeon retains both (i) direct tactile sensation of traditional surgery, which is not provided by modern, remotely controlled instruments, and (ii) the hand-eye coordination lost previously when surgeons began perfoeming surgery through a monitor. Furthermore the presence of the surgeon's hand in the surgical field enables greater ease in, and atraumatic displacement of, the organs, an immediate control of potentially dangerous situations, and gives him/her the ability to perform blunt dissections. In addition, the facility provided by use of an assisting hand makes the surgeon's task easier to perform, thereby reducing the level of training and experience usually required to master laparoscopic surgery techniques.
However, in the course of hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery, situations often occur where the surgeon's dexterity is no longer adequate to perform extraordinarily precise operations such as fine dissections, vascular peduncula isolation, limphade-nectomy, etc. In conventional open field surgery, when tissue to be grasped is only a few millimeters in size such that the surgeon's finger tips can be ineffective, the use of forceps, which is generally operated by the surgeon's non-dominant hand, is not problematic. During minimally invasive procedures, on the other hand, such as hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery, the use of conventional surgical forceps has not been possible. This is because of their shape, incompatibility with the space available in the surgical field, and the manner in which this type of minimally invasive intervention is carried out, namely, a need to minimize the number of times the non-dominant hand is extracted from and re-inserted into the surgical field.

Auxiliary forceps for hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery (HALS)

Scuola Superiore di Studi Universitari e di Perfezionamento S. ANNA


The fluid power generator is provided. The fluid power generator includes: a first member that has multiple coils; a second member that is rotatable relative to the first member and that has multiple permanent magnets; a rotating member that is mechanically linked with either one of the first member and the second member to rotate by fluid force; and a clearance controller that moves at least one of the first member and the second member to thereby change a clearance between the first member and the second member, wherein the clearance controller changes the clearance in such a manner as to make the clearance smaller after a start of rotation of the rotating member than before the start of rotation of the rotating member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to control of a fluid power generator.
2. Description of the Related Art
For reduction of carbon dioxide, power generations by utilizing natural energies, such as wind power generation, hydraulic power generation, and photovoltaic power generation, have been attracting a great deal of attention. Enhancement of the efficiency of such natural energy power generations is of great importance to solve the environmental problems.
A fluid power generator may be constructed, for example, with a brushless motor structure. One example of the brushless motor structure is disclosed in JP 2001-298982A.
One typical example of the fluid power generator is a wind power generator. The wind power generator uses blades that receive the wind force to rotate. The blades are generally designed to have a large weight for the enhanced inertia of rotation. In the condition of low wind force, it is difficult to rotate the blades and start power generation. One proposed structure of the wind power generator uses a drive motor separate from the power generator to start rotation of the blades even in the condition of low wind force.
This prior art structure, however, requires the separate drive motor for starting the power generator. This undesirably complicates the overall mechanism and increases the manufacturing cost. Such drawbacks are not characteristic of the wind power generator but are commonly found in various fluid power generators.


The embodiments provides an improved tungsten silicide etching process with reduced etch rate micro-loading effect. In one embodiment, a method for etching a layer formed on a substrate is provided. The method includes providing a substrate into a plasma processing chamber, the substrate having a metal silicide layer formed thereon and a patterned mask defined over the metal silicide layer. The method also includes supplying an etching gas mixture of a fluorine-containing gas, a chlorine-containing gas, a nitrogen-containing gas, and an oxygen-containing gas to the plasma processing chamber, wherein the ratio of the nitrogen-containing gas to the fluorine-containing gas is between about 5 to about 15. In addition, the method includes generating a plasma in the plasma processing chamber using the supplied etching gas mixture to etch the metal silicide layer in regions not covered by the patterned mask, the patterned mask defining dense regions and isolated regions, wherein the generated plasma is configured to remove the metal silicide layer in the dense regions and the isolated regions at a reduced etch rate micro-loading.

In the fabrication of semiconductor-based devices (e.g. integrated circuits or flat panel displays), layers of material are alternately deposited onto and etched from a substrate surface (e.g., the semiconductor wafer or the glass panel). As is well known in the art, the deposition of material layer(s) and etching of the material layer(s) may be accomplished by a variety of techniques, including plasma-enhanced deposition and etching. In plasma-enhanced deposition or etching, the actual deposition or etching of the substrate takes place inside a plasma processing chamber. During the deposition or etching process, a plasma is formed from a suitable source gas to deposit a material layer on the substrate or to etch areas of substrate that are unprotected by the etch mask, leaving behind the desired pattern.
Silicide films are used to provide low resistance interconnection paths which are important in order to fabricate dense, high performance devices. One structure is a polycide gate of the MOS transistor. It consists of a refractory metal silicide (e.g., WS2, TiSi2, MoSi2, or TaSi2) on top of a doped poly-silicon layer. In an example process, such a structure reduces the interconnect resistivity to less than the 15-30 ohms/square exhibited by doped poly-silicon that has no silicide. As minimum geometries decrease, interconnect resistances increase. For technologies with minimum geometries of about half a micron, introducing a refractory metal polycide process significantly lowers gate interconnect resistance. In minimum geometry features, tungsten silicide is the material of choice for its low sheet resistances and thermal stability.
The current existing tungsten silicide etching process has a severe etch rate micro-loading problem. Tungsten silicide in an isolated feature area is etched at a higher rate than in the dense feature area. Due to the severe degree of micro-loading, longer over-etch operations are required at the expense of increasing the risk of gate oxide punch through, which reduces device yield.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a method that provides an improved tungsten silicide etching process with a reduced etch rate micro-loading effect.

Tungsten silicide etch process with reduced etch rate micro-loading


An object of the present invention is to provide a construction machine which precipitates the removal of earth that is churned up onto a vehicle body from the vehicle body, which reduces transfer loads on a blade bracket, which improves the attachability of the blade bracket, and which achieves standardization of the blade bracket. The construction machine according to the present invention is constituted such that a frame of a crawler belt-type traveling body comprises a center frame, a pair of truck frames disposed on the outside of two side portions of the center frame, a connecting member which connects the center frame to the truck frames, and a blade bracket which is joined to the center frame and the connecting member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a construction machine such as a hydraulic shovel, and more particularly to a frame constitution of a traveling body in a construction machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional hydraulic shovel 100 disclosed in "Crawler-type Vehicle" (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication 2002-178960) comprises a traveling body 101 to enable movement, and a slewing body 102 which is mounted slewably above the traveling body 101, as shown in FIG. 9.
The slewing body 102 comprises a slewing frame 103, and the slewing frame 103 is provided with a body cover 104 accommodating a motor and the like, a cab 105 which defines the operating cabin, a counterweight 106, and so on, for example.
A working device 107 is provided elevatably at the front portion of the slewing body 102.
A truck frame 108 constituting the main body part of the traveling body 101 is, as shown in FIG. 10, constituted by a center frame 109 positioned in the center by means of steel plate welding or the like, and side frames 112 provided on both the left and right sides of the center frame 109 and extending to the front and rear.
Here, the center frame 109 is constituted by a central circular core 110, and leg parts 111 extending in a front/rear direction and a left/right direction from the outer periphery of the circular core 110 to form an overall H shape.
The leg parts 111 are formed as canning structures by an upper plate portion 111A, a lower plate portion 111B, side plate portions 111C which connect the plate portions 111A, 111B in a vertical direction, and so on.
112, 112 are left and right side frames provided on the tip end side of the leg portions 111 of the center frame 109 by welding. The side frames 112 are formed as frame bodies in a substantially reverse C shape extending in a front/rear direction.
Left and right mudguard covers 125, 125 are disposed respectively on the side frames 112, 112 of the truck frame 108.
Note that "Truck Frame for Construction Machine" (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication H9-202261) is disclosed as another known invention in addition to that described above.
The hydraulic shovel 100 described above (see FIG. 9) travels over various types of ground by driving crawler belts 117 disposed on the traveling body 101 to rotate. As a result, earth, mud, and so on are churned up by the crawler belts 117.
Here, as shown in FIGS. 9, 10, the mudguard covers 125, 125 provided in the vicinity of the crawler belts 117, 117 are constituted so as to extend in a horizontal direction, and hence the earth, mud, and so on that are churned up by the crawler belts 117 may accumulate on top of the mudguard covers 125, 125.
In this case, a worker must remove the accumulated earth, mud, and so on, and if the earth, mud, and so on are left to accumulate, they cause running resistance when the hydraulic shovel 100 is operated.
Hence a blade bracket (not shown) on which an earth-removing blade (not shown) is supported so as to swing freely is connected to the front portion of the traveling body 101.
As the blade performs an earth removal operation, various loads such as large loads are applied to the blade bracket which supports the blade. It is therefore desirable that an operating load transmitted to the blade bracket be processed appropriately in order to improve the load-withstanding strength of the vehicle body.


An exemplary power conversion system includes a first power conversion module, a second power conversion module, and a controller. The first power conversion module includes a first source side converter, a first load side converter, and a first DC link coupled between the first source side converter and the second load side converter. The second power conversion module includes a second source side converter, a second load side converter, and a second DC link coupled between the second source side converter and the second load side converter. The controller is configured to generate a number of switching signals according to a circuit structure of the power source module or a circuit structure of the load module. The switching signals are provided to the first power conversion module and the second power conversion module to balance a first DC link voltage and a second DC link voltage.

This disclosure generally relates to power conversion systems and methods for balancing at least a first DC link voltage and a second DC link voltage.
For most power conversion systems, switching type semiconductors (e.g., IGBTs) are commonly used and controlled to conduct current so as to accomplish a power conversion process (e.g., DC to AC and/or AC to DC). However, due to the voltage and/or current limitation of the semiconductors, it is difficult to achieve a high-power rating power conversion system. Attempts to increase voltage rating and current conduction capability have been made to handle high power.
In some power conversion systems, various new topologies are used to increase current conduction capability. For example, one topology that has been proposed is employing two or more power conversion modules with the same structure coupled in parallel in the power conversion system to increase current conduction capability. However, by increasing the load current, the conduction loss of the power conversion system increases significantly. Furthermore, it is difficult to use suitable cables and circuit breakers when the load current is too high.
In some power conversion systems, loads designed with an open-winding structure are commonly used to increase voltage rating. With the open-winding structure, the load can be supplied with power by dual power conversion modules in a push-pull manner, and each power conversion module handles half of the total voltage. In some applications, in order to control the power conversion modules in the same manner independently, it is desired that the DC link voltages in different power conversion modules can be controlled to be balanced. However, conventional strategies for balancing the DC link voltages are complex.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide systems and methods to address at least one of the above-mentioned problems.


A lens moving mechanism includes a lens frame holding a lens; a guide shaft for slidably supporting the lens frame, the guide shaft extending parallel with the optical axis, a lead screw extending parallel to the guide shaft for moving the lens frame linearly via rotation of the lead screw; a pair of bearing arms provided on the lens frame spaced from one another in a direction parallel with the guide shaft; and a screw-engagement follower located between the bearing arms and provided separately from the lens frame, the screw-engagement follower provided with a screw-engagement portion engaging with the lead screw. The guide shaft is inserted in the bearing arms and the screw-engagement follower. The screw-engagement follower is integrally provided with an elastically deformable leg which abuts against an inner surface of a bearing arm to absorb play between the screw-engagement follower and the bearing arms.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lens moving mechanism for linearly moving a lens in an optical axis direction via a rotational lead screw.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a known lens moving mechanism using a lead screw, a lens frame which holds a lens is slidably attached to a guide shaft extending parallel with the optical axis so as not to rotate. The lens frame is provided with a screw-engagement portion which engages with the lead screw extending parallel with the guide shaft.
In this lens moving mechanism, a compression coil spring is provided to bias the lens frame in the optical axis direction in order to eliminate backlash between the lead screw and the lens frame. However, as the amount of compression of the compression coil spring varies in accordance with the movement of the lens frame, the load applied to a motor which drives the lead screw varies accordingly. Furthermore, as a space for accommodating the compression coil spring in the optical axis direction is necessary, it is difficult to miniaturize the lens moving mechanism.
In another type of lens moving mechanism, a screw-engagement body which engages with the lead screw is constructed separately from the lens frame. In this type of lens moving mechanism, another compression spring is necessary to absorb play between the screw-engagement body (screw-engagement follower) and the lens frame. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a space in which the compression spring is accommodated in the optical axis direction and a space in which a support shaft of the engagement follower is supported. Consequently, it is difficult to miniaturize the lens moving mechanism. There is continuous need for miniaturization of a camera in which such a lens moving mechanism is incorporated. However, conventional lens moving mechanisms cannot satisfy the need for further miniaturization of a camera.


A bathing implement for use in cleansing and exfoliating skin which can also be utilized as a bath toy by a child or an adult. The bathing implement includes a washcloth component and a collar component which attaches about a portion of the washcloth so that at least one end portion of the washcloth flares outwardly from the collar. Preferably, the washcloth is a flexible mesh sponge and the collar is sleeve-shaped and made of foam or any number of other materials.

Most people utilize their hands, or a washcloth, to lather soap and apply the lathered soap to the body during bathing. More recently, sponges, netting or mesh material have been utilized as washcloths since they also provide an exfoliation function. Common mesh sponges are normally provided in a substantially ball-like shape and include a string which enables the sponges to be hung until further use.
A common problem experienced with children, particularly young children, is that they often dislike bathing. One solution to this problem is the use of bath toys which help make a bath more enjoyable for the child. Another common problem is that young children often do not apply, or find it difficult to apply, a sufficient amount of lathered soap on their own to their bodies.
Although known washcloths, particularly washcloths intended for use by children, may be satisfactory for their intended purposes, there is a need for an improved bathing implement which can be used with a soap product to clean and exfoliate skin and which is useful as a bath toy to make bathing fun and easy for young children.


A computing device is electronically connected to one or more clients for a video conference. The computing device firstly sends a first video image to the clients. When a client requests a custom video image, the computing device obtains a second video image by merging images of all conference participants for the client, and sends to the client. The client selects information from the second video image and sends the information to the computing device. After receiving the information, the computing device creates the custom video image according to the received information, and sends the custom video image to the client.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to video technology, and more particularly to a computing device and a method for adjusting video images.
2. Description of Related Art
Current conference video servers cannot display all conference participants images if a number of the conference participants is over a predetermined value. On one hand, when the number of the conference participants reaches the predetermined value, a conference video server only can display images of a part of conference participants on screens of clients. On another hand, the conference participants images displayed on the screens are same. That is, the clients cannot select one or more conference participants images according to their own needs.

Computing device and method for adjusting video image

HONG FU JIN PRECISION INDUSTRY (ShenZhen) CO., LTD.


Apparatus and method for the forming of fiber structures or webs utilizing a rotor having a plurality of blade sets helically arranged about its periphery for detangling and declumping air-entrained fibers which are deposited against a sizing screen, said blades act to push individualized fibers, with the assistance of positive air pressure, through the screen into a free-fall zone for deposit on an underlying forming wire.

It is established technology to disintegrate the pulp derived from a wood pulping mill into fibers, for example, to defibrate virgin pulp via a defibration device, e.g. hammer mill, grinding mill. The fibers are transported through conduits, usually moved by forced air, to an area adapted for fiber deposit and fibrous web formation. The very nature of air transport causes the tangling and clumping together of the fibers. Various devices are known to effect fiber deposit to attain control of fiber laydown and to gain a substantially uniform web thickness. These devices involve what may be called a sifting apparatus, such as an agitator means positioned above an apertured screen for causing fibers to pass through the apertures or openings in the screen to a receiving member, usually in the form of a moving wire or belt.
For example, a rotary impeller means may be provided to detangle and declump the fibers, and to distribute the fibers over a sifting screen, seeking a uniform deposition of fibers on a traveling perforated belt, known in the art as a "former wire." The impeller disposed within an open fiber distribution housing may rotate upon horizontal axes that are aligned in parallel to the plane of the forming wire. These axes extend transversely of the direction of "wire" movement.
One prior open fiber distributor housing having a cylindrical chamber with its arcuate bottom wall perforated for distributing fibers onto the forming wire uses, as the motive force for moving the fiber, air suction as well as a helically-bladed rotor with the rotor axis essentially coincident with the cylindrical chamber axis of curvature. This arrangement serves to distribute the fibers in close proximity to the screen and substantially evenly distributes them along the transverse length of the chamber. Air suction then causes the fibers to be drawn through the screen and be deposited on the forming wire. See, U.S. Pat. No. 4,627,806 [Johnson] issued Dec. 9, 1986.
Major concerns in the formation of fiber webs are achieving uniformity across the entire web which includes uniformity in basis weight, lift, entanglement, and resolving the difficulty in providing consistent fiber orientation for maximum cross-strength of the resulting web. Erratic production results are still experienced, as the web commonly experiences orientation of fibers in the machine direction due to the air suction. This results in loss of strength in the web in a cross-machine direction. Another, and equally more difficult obstacle to uniform web formation, is the frequent occurrence of fiber clumps or nits due to the air suction drawing small fiber clumps through the screen.
Prior air suction systems, long used to pull the collecting fiber through a sizing screen, such as standard air exhaust means, are plagued by the flow distortions created by fiber clumping and erratic aperture blocking in the sizing screen. This creates distorted fiber flowthrough patterns from the fiber distribution housing, and so markedly interferes with achieving a uniform depositing of fiber, a balanced loft and basis weight in the resulting web.
In the present invention, it is intended that the arcuate screen have a fiber deposition or "coating", fostering a positive pressure build-up in a closed fiber distribution housing, followed by the high frequency repetitive wiping and fiber clearing action by a high-RPM helically arranged blades of a rotor means. The building of positive pressure applied to the closed distributor housing, rather than air suction applied from below the former wire, is a chief factor in accomplishing randomized fiber flowthrough across the entire field of the machine. This action fosters a more uniform fiber descent through a vertically oriented duct means for preventing external influences upon the virtually free-falling fibers.
It is, therefore, a principle object of the invention to provide an improved air-laid, non-woven fibrous web making process, in terms of the varied sources of feedstock and reduced fiber waste in their conversion to formable fibrous web structures. It is another object of the invention to provide an air-laid, web making process which is better adapted to short production run applications, like for non-wovens which may be utilized in the premoistened and industrial wipe markets, and to enhance the inherent economic advantages of producing non-wovens from a variety fiber sources.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a process with a significantly reduced environmental impact, including energy conservation, by avoiding significant toxic chemical waste, vaporous pollutants, and by requiring markedly less process water elimination than used in conventional paper making. Yet another object of the invention is to provide a process for using fiber feedstocks from a variety of fiber sources (wood pulp, newsprint, telephone directories, office waste paper, synthetic fibers etc.), and effecting random fiber lengths that will ultimately yield non-wovens of acceptable fabric bulk and desired physical properties.
Other objects will appear hereinafter.

Apparatus and method of making a non-woven fabric


The invention provides Group III nitride semiconductor crystals of a size appropriate for semiconductor devices and methods for manufacturing the same, Group III nitride semiconductor devices and methods for manufacturing the same, and light-emitting appliances. A method of manufacturing a Group III nitride semiconductor crystal includes a process of growing at least one Group III nitride semiconductor crystal substrate on a starting substrate, a process of growing at least one Group III nitride semiconductor crystal layer on the Group III nitride semiconductor crystal substrate, and a process of separating a Group III nitride semiconductor crystal, constituted by the Group III nitride semiconductor crystal substrate and the Group III nitride semiconductor crystal layer, from the starting substrate, and is characterized in that the Group III nitride semiconductor crystal is 10 μm or more but 600 μm or less in thickness, and is 0.2 mm or more but 50 mm or less in width.

Group III nitride semiconductor crystals are widely used in semiconductor devices such as light-emitting diodes (hereinafter called LEDs) and laser diodes (hereafter called LDs).
Conventionally, the manufacture of Group III nitride semiconductor devices that include a Group III nitride semiconductor crystal has required numerous process steps. There was a process of forming a thick Group III nitride semiconductor crystal on a starting substrate, a process of removing this crystal from the starting substrate, a processing of slicing that crystal, a process of attaching the crystal obtained by slicing to the crystal holder of a grinding machine and/or a polishing machine, a process of machining the surface (by this meaning to grind and/or polish; the same hereinafter) of one principal face of the crystal while using increasingly smaller grain-size abrasive, a process of removing the crystal whose one principal face has been machined from the crystal holder, a process of attaching the crystal whose one principal face has been machined to the crystal holder such that its other principal face may be machined, a process of machining the surface of the other principal face of the crystal while using increasingly small diameter abrasive grain, a process of removing the crystal whose two principal faces have been machined from the crystal holder, and a process of cleaning the crystal whose two principal faces have been machined, and by performing these process steps, a highly-clean Group III nitride semiconductor crystal substrate having a predetermined thickness was obtained. One or more Group III nitride semiconductor crystal layers are then formed on this Group III nitride semiconductor crystal substrate and the product is cut into chips of a predetermined size to produce semiconductor devices having a predetermined size (see Patent Document 1, for example).
If the starting substrate is made of a material that is different from the Group III nitride that is to be grown thereon, then to obtain a large Group III nitride semiconductor crystal, further process steps are required. These are a process of growing a 100 μm to 200 μm thick Group III nitride semiconductor crystal atop this dissimilar substrate, a process of removing a portion of the dissimilar substrate, a process of once again growing a 100 μm to 200 μm thick Group III nitride semiconductor crystal, a process of removing the remaining dissimilar substrate, and a process of growing a Group III nitride semiconductor crystal thereon (see Patent Document 2, for example).
Thus, as illustrated above, conventional manufacturing methods have included many processing steps and are inefficient due to the particularly time intensive nature of the processes for slicing, grinding/polishing, and cutting into chips, the Group III nitride semiconductor crystal.
Accordingly, there has been a need for more efficient manufacture of Group III nitride semiconductor devices having a predetermined size. Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Pat. App. Pub. No. 2002-261014. Patent Document 2: Japanese Unexamined Pat. App. Pub. No. H11-1399.

III nitride semiconductor crystal and manufacturing method thereof, III nitride semiconductor device manufacturing method thereof, and light emitting device


A dust core includes a compact containing a soft magnetic powder and also includes a cover coat for the compact. The cover coat contains a polyamideimide-modified epoxy resin. An electric/electronic component includes the dust core, a coil, and a connection terminal connected to each end portion of the coil. At least one portion of the dust core is placed so as to be located in an induced magnetic field generated by the current flowing in the coil through the connection terminal. An electric/electronic device includes the electric/electronic component.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dust core, a method for manufacturing the dust core, an electric/electronic component including the dust core, and an electric/electronic device equipped with the electric/electronic component.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electric/electronic components such as reactors, transformers, and choke coils are used in electric/electronic devices such as power supply circuits in servers for data centers, boosting circuits for hybrid automobiles, generators, and transforming stations. In the electric/electronic components, a dust core is used as a magnetic member in some cases. The dust core can be obtained in such a manner that a large number of soft magnetic powders are compacted and an obtained compact is heat-treated.
The dust core is the compact of the soft magnetic powders as described above and therefore includes a cover coat from the viewpoint of increasing the mechanical strength in some cases. In this regard, Japanese Registered Utility Model No. 3145832 discloses a composite magnetic material, obtained by binding a soft magnetic metal powder with a non-magnetic material, for inductors. The non-magnetic material contains a forming aid added to and mixed with the soft magnetic metal powder and an impregnation resin that is impregnated into a compact of the soft magnetic metal powder and the forming aid in the form of a binder after the soft magnetic metal powder-forming aid compact is heat-treated. The impregnation resin has a thermosetting temperature of 180° C. or higher at atmospheric pressure.
Since an electric/electronic device including an electric/electronic component including the dust core is used in various environments, the dust core is used in an environment with a temperature of about 100° C. in some cases because the outside temperature is high or the electric/electronic device is located near a heat-generating component. In the case where the dust core is used in such a high-temperature environment, a material making up the dust core may possibly be heat-denatured. If the denaturation of the material varies magnetic properties of the dust core, particularly the core loss thereof, then the amount of heat generated from the dust core may possibly increase to promote the thermal denaturation of the dust core. Changes in magnetic properties of the dust core due to the use of the dust core in such a high-temperature environment may possibly affect the operation stability of the electric/electronic component, which includes the dust core. Thus, the following dust cores are demanded: dust cores that are unlikely to suffer from changes in magnetic properties even if the dust cores are used in the high-temperature environment. Furthermore, in the case where the dust cores are used in the high-temperature environment, the mechanical strength of the dust cores needs to be maintained in an appropriate range.

Dust core, method for manufacturing dust core, electric/electronic component including dust core, and electric/electronic device equipped with electric/electronic component


Dopamine releasing protein (DARP) is a protein which stimulates release of dopamine from dopaminergic neurons, and is effective at extremely low concentrations. DARP is useful for stimulating vertebrate nervous systems, and for treatment of Parkinson's disease. Antibodies to DARP are useful for inhibiting dopamine release, and for quantifying the concentration of DARP in samples.

Parkinson's disease was first described in 1817, as a neurological disorder characterized by tremor, muscular rigidity, and loss of postural reflexes. It typically presents in middle age, and is a leading cause of neurological disability in individuals 60 and older. Current estimates are that 100-150 of every 100,000 people are afflicted with Parkinson's disease.
Early signs of the disease typically begin with relative immobility of facial expression, infrequent blinking, fixed trunk postures, and difficulty in sitting or rising. These signs are generally followed by symptoms of tremor, slowness and fatigue, loss of dexterity, disturbances in gait, psychological depression, and others. Later symptoms include muscular rigidity and difficulty in performing volitional motor activities. The patient may lose many reflex motions, such as eye blinking, automatic shifting of weight when standing or sitting, arm swinging while walking, which must be performed consciously. The course of Parkinson's disease is progressive, and causes severe disability or death in 25% of patients within 5 years of onset, in 65% of patients within 10 years, and in 80% of patients within 15 years.
Parkinson's disease is now associated with the gradual destruction of catecholamine neurons in the brain, particularly in the substantia nigra, locus ceruleus, and brain-stem nuclei. Dopamine concentration in the caudate nucleus, putamen, and pallidum is depleted, and is correlated with the degree of cell loss in the substantia nigra.
Current therapy is based on administration of L-DOPA, which is metabolized to dopamine in vivo. L-DOPA is often administered in combination with a peripheral decarboxylase inhibitor (e.g., carbidopa), which inhibits metabolism of dopamine, and thus reduces the amount of L-DOPA required. Others have administered monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors such as deprenyl, which inhibits metabolism of dopamine by MAO, allowing the accumulation of dopamine and prolonging its action. However, L-DOPA treatment also presents a host of side effects, including involuntary movements, confusional states, and toxic psychosis. Tolerance for the drug typically develops over time, such that the dosage administered is gradually increased until contraindicated by side effects. The disease continues to progress.
Lately, a great deal of interest has arisen in the possible use of tissue transplant as a means to ameliorate the progression of the disease. See for example M. Herrera-Marschitz et al, Brain Res (1984) 297:53-61; E-O. Backlund et al, J Neurosurg (1985) 62:169-73; I. Stromberg et al, Exp Brain Res (1985) 60:335-49; and I. Madrazo et al, New Eng J Med (1987) 316:831-84. Although initial results with adrenal tissue and later with substantia nigra are encouraging, the mechanism and final outcome of this approach is unknown.
The ultimate cause of Parkinson's disease is still unknown. Infectious and environmental factors have been postulated, but no infectious agents have been isolated or environmental factors linked to the disease. There is no known hereditary predisposition. However, it is possible that the selective death of dopaminergic neurons in localized areas of the brain is due to the abnormally low concentration and/or synthesis of dopamine. This in turn may be caused by the absence or depletion of endogenous releasing factors, which may be responsible for synthesis and/or release of threshold concentrations of dopamine. Our discovery tends to support such a hypothesis.

Detection reagent and antibody specific for dopamine releasing protein


The invention relates to a method in a water-base system for at least partially avoiding an expected viscosity decrease or providing a viscosity increase upon a temperature increase, by using a system containing as viscosity-adjusting agents a nonionic cellulose ether in such an amount that the aqueous solution thereof has a viscosity of 10-10,000 cP, measured according to Brookfield LV, 12 rpm at 20.degree. C., and an ionic surface-active compound in an amount of 1-30 mmol per liter of water.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method, in a water-base system, of at least partially avoiding an expected viscosity decrease or of providing a viscosity increase upon a temperature increase, by using a system containing as viscosity-adjusting agent a nonionic water-soluble cellulose ether and a water-soluble ionic surface-active compound.
2. Background of the Art
Water-soluble polymers in most cases give rise to a substantial viscosity increase when dissolved in water. A large number of water-base systems therefore contain polymers and viscosity-adjusting agents. Also small additions, e.g. below 1% by weight, may cause considerable changes in the viscosity of the aqueous solution and even give rise to gelation. The viscosity of an aqueous solution of a polymer generally is dependent on concentration and temperature. Normally, the viscosity increases upon an increase of the polymer concentration or upon a temperature drop. Examples of polymers exhibiting such a temperature dependence are sodium alginate, polyvinyl alcohol and tragacanth.
There are many types of gel-forming water-soluble polymers. In most of these polymers, gelation occurs upon a temperature drop. Some polymers exhibit in aqueous solution a so-called turbidity point or flocculation temperature, which means that the polymer precipitates when the temperature is raised above a critical temperature. Known examples of such polymers are nonionic cellulose ethers. The normal behaviour of nonionic cellulose ethers is that the viscosity is reduced when the temperature is increased above room temperature. The reduction continues until flocculation temperature is attained. At this temperature, the solution starts becoming turbid and if the concentration of the polymer is sufficiently high, a viscosity increase can be observed. The process is reversible.
Protein solutions are somewhat exceptional in respect of temperature dependence. They often exhibit irreversible processes depending on so-called denaturation of the proteins when the temperature is raised. This in turn may give rise to irreversible gelation upon a temperature increase.
Thus, it can be concluded that the viscosity of a polymer solution is reduced upon a temperature increase, although certain polymers exhibit a substantial viscosity increase at their flocculation temperatures.
In many applications it is desirable to have access to water-base polymer solutions which exhibit a smaller viscosity decrease upon a temperature increase than current polymers or even a maintained or increased viscosity before gelation (viscosity increase associated with phase separation) possibly occurs.
Such properties are valuable in ceramic processes when aqueous mixtures should be extruded and the product thereafter heated with unaltered geometry. To this end, a constant or an increasing viscosity with increasing temperature is needed in order that the structure of the extruded product should not collapse. This is also the case in several applications within the food industry where extrusion is often carried out with subsequent heating. In deep-frying, it may sometimes be desirable to increase the viscosity when the temperature is raised so as to reduce the penetration of frying-oil into the food product. Other fields of use are liquid compositions for therapeutic or cosmetic treatment of man and animal where it is desirable in many cases that the viscosity of the compositions be raised, possibly followed by gelation upon heating to body temperature. Further examples are found in suspension polymerisation when it is desirable to provide stabilisation of monomer-containing droplets at increased temperatures.
Canadian Patent Specification 1,072,413 discloses a method for preparing water-base polymer compositions which are liquid at room temperature, but lose their fluidity and form a gel upon a temperature increase. This is achieved by using a gel-forming component in the form of a special type of block polymer of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide, optionally in combination with a modifying polymer component.

Use of viscosity-adjusting agent to counteract viscosity decrease upon temperature increase of a water-based system


There is provided a computer system comprising a first storage system and a second storage system coupled to the first storage system. The first storage system provides a first storage area. The second storage system provides a second storage area. The second storage system reads and writes the requested data from and to the first storage area associated with the second storage area; specifies the first storage area associated with the second storage area from which the data is to be erased upon reception of a request for erasing the data stored in the second storage area; and transmits the request for erasing the data to the first storage system providing the specified first storage area. The first storage system erases the data stored in the specified first storage area, based on a data erasure condition included in the request for erasing the data.

This invention relates to a technology of erasing data stored in a storage system, in particular, to a technology of preventing a load for data erasure from being increased.
A storage area network (SAN) for coupling at least one external storage system and at least one computer is known. The SAN is particularly effective when a plurality of computers share a single large-scale storage system. A storage system including the SAN is excellent in scalability because such a storage system allows a storage system or a computer to be easily added or deleted.
As the external storage system coupled to the SAN, a disk array apparatus is frequently used in general. The disk array apparatus includes a large number of storage devices as represented by a hard disk (for example, magnetic storage devices) mounted therein.
The disk array apparatus manages a plurality of magnetic storage devices as a single redundant array of independent disks (RAID) group by a RAID technology. The RAID group forms at least one logical storage area. The computer coupled to the SAN executes data input/output processing for the logical storage area. When recording data on the storage area, the disk array apparatus records redundant data on the magnetic storage devices constituting the RAID group. Even if one of the magnetic storage devices is broken, the redundant data enables the recovery of the data.
In operation of the SAN, multiple types of storage systems different in categories or fabricated by different fabricators are sometimes present at the same time. In such a situation, the management such as capacity allocation and volume assignment should be carried out, taking account of the characteristics of each device. Therefore, a burden on an operation administrator is increased. In order to cope with such a problem, a virtual storage technology can be used. A storage virtualization device (virtual storage system) virtualizes a storage device mounted in another storage system as if the storage device were a resource stored on the storage virtualization device to provide the virtualized storage device for a host computer (see JP 2005-011277 A). Moreover, the virtual storage technology allows resources on different types of storage systems having different characteristics to be managed in an integrated fashion, thereby reducing the burden on the administrator.
Further, in order to erase the data recorded on the magnetic storage device, dummy data is written over the storage area from which the data is to be erased. However, if the dummy data is overwritten only once, there still exists remanent magnetism to allow the data to be recovered in some cases. In order to solve such a problem, processing of repeating the overwriting of dummy data for a plurality of times to completely eliminate the remanent magnetism is recommended. By completely eliminating the remanent magnetism to prevent the data from being recovered, a security risk can be lowered.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Data management method for erasing data in computer system


To provide a communication terminal that ensures the coincidence of Paging timing between a UE and a control device when an eDRX parameter is updated in a control device, a communication terminal (10) according to the present disclosure includes a receiving unit (11) for receiving a Tracking Area Registration Accept message or a Location Registration Accept message sent from a control device (30), and a sending unit (12) for sending a Tracking Area Registration Complete message or a Location Registration Complete message to the control device (30) when a first eDRX (Extended Idle Mode DRX) parameter is contained in the Tracking Area Registration Accept message or the Location Registration Accept message.

Location registration is specified in 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), which specifies a standard for mobile networks. The location registration is processing performed for a UE (User Equipment), which is a communication terminal, to notify an MME (Mobility Management Entity), which is a control device, of a change in TA (Tracking Area). One of location registration processing is TAU (Tracking Area Update). For example, details of TAU processing are specified in Chapter 188.8.131.52 of Non Patent Literature 1. In the TAU processing, GUTI (Globally Unique Temporary UE Identity) is used as an identifier of a UE, instead of IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity), which is an identifier specified to a UE. The GUTI is a Temporary ID (Identity) that is delivered in advance from an MME to a UE. The GUTI is preferably changed on a regular basis from the viewpoint of security. The GUTI may be referred to as a temporary identity. Thus, the GUTI is changed in GUTI Reallocation processing (see Chapter 5.3.7 of Non Patent Literature 1), which is performed in parallel with the TAU processing.
An MME sends a TAU Accept message containing a changed GUTI to a UE in the TAU processing and thereby notifies the UE of the changed GUTI. As a response to the TAU Accept message, the UE sends a TAU Complete message to the MME. The MME receives the TAU Complete message and can thereby recognize that the changed GUTI has been notified to the UE.
Packet reception operation specified in 3GPP is described hereinbelow. For example, NW (Network) Triggered Service Request processing is specified in Chapter 126.96.36.199 of Non Patent Literature 1 as a specific example of the packet reception operation. In the NW Triggered Service Request processing, an MME sends a Paging message to an eNB (evolved NodeB), which is a base station. Receiving the Paging message, the eNB executes Paging for the UE. Packet reception is thereby notified to the UE.
The timing of Paging is determined according to DRX (Discontinuous Reception) cycle. Further, there is a case where an IoT (Internet of Things) device is used as the UE. In this case, use of eDRX (Extended Idle Mode DRX) cycle, where the interval of execution of Paging is longer than that of the DRX cycle, is taken into consideration. While the maximum value of the DRX cycle is 2.56 seconds, the maximum value of the eDRX cycle is approximately 43 minutes.
In the case where the eDRX cycle is applied, the eDRX cycle or the timing of Paging is calculated using an eDRX parameter and an S-TMSI (SAE (System Architecture Evolution)-Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity). The S-TMSI is contained in the GUTI. The eDRX parameter used for calculating the eDRX cycle or the timing of Paging is an eDRX cycle value, for example.

Communication terminal, control device, communication system, and communication method


A roman curtain includes a curtain unit and a winding unit. The curtain unit has a covering portion, a top edge portion of which is adapted to be mounted to or in the vicinity of an upper edge of the window and which extends downwardly, an upper tube that is disposed on a rear side of the covering portion, a lower tube that is disposed on the rear side of the covering portion below and spaced apart vertically from the upper tube, and two rods that extend into the upper and lower tubes respectively. The winding unit has a winding rod that is adapted to be mounted rotatably to or in the vicinity of the upper edge of the window, and a winding piece, a top end portion of which is connected to the winding rod.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a roman curtain, more particularly to a roman curtain that is simple in structure and safe.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 shows a conventional roman curtain which includes a curtain cloth 11, a plurality of guide rings 12, and a plurality of cords 13. The guide rings 12 are disposed on one side of the curtain cloth 11. The cords 13 are vertically disposed on said one side of the curtain cloth 11, and extend through the respective guide rings 12. Bottom portions of the cords 13 are connected to a lower portion of the curtain cloth 11 or to lowermost guide rings 12.
When the curtain is in use, the curtain cloth 11 may be extended downwardly or folded in a layer-by-layer manner by manipulation of the cord 13. However, the conventional roman curtain has a complicated structure and is high in cost. Moreover, the curtain cloth 11 of the conventional roman curtain is not easily removed for cleaning or replacement. In addition, strangling injury may occur between the cord 13 and the curtain cloth 11.


A centrifugal blower apparatus suitable for industrial uses has a least a delivery outlet and at least two fluid inlets disposed on either side of a blower wheel suitable for being rotated by a drive system. Each inlet is associated with a respective control system for controlling the suction flow rte of fluid and is capable of establishing asymmetrical suction flow rates between the inlets. The inlets are fitted with control systems which differ in their mechanical structures and their characteristics concerning fineness of control.

Large capacity blowers for industrial use are already well known and widespread in numerous sectors of industry. Such blowers can be applied in sectors of industry that are as varied as: the nuclear industry, the chemical industry, the iron and steel industry, the cement Industry, for example, or Indeed in fossil fuel power stations.
In these industrial applications, it is conventional to distinguish between two major type. of blower unit: centrifugal type blower units; and axial type blower units; it being understood that the present invention relates more particularly to centrifugal type blowers in which the fluid to be blown is sucked in laterally relative to the blower wheel through At least two inlets, and is then expelled by the centrifugal force created by the vanes of the blower wheel.
Given the large ventilation capacities required by the above-mentioned industrial applications, for example of the order of 500 kW to 5000 kW, and indeed in extreme cases 100 kW to 10,000 kW, blower unit designs are of large dimensions, even though such units are made up of moving parts which are subject in use to high stresses, mechanically, in terms of duration of operation, and in terms of the conditions of the medium in which the parts need to operate.
A recognized consequence is that criteria such as operational effectiveness, technical reliability, noise level, and operating cost, including the notion of blower efficiency, are of very great importance when designing and using such devices.
Proposals have thus already been made to control and vary the suction flow rate of two-inlet centrifugal blowers in order to reduce the power they absorb, for the purpose of obtaining aerodynamic control of the flow rate of the device, necessary for better efficiency and thus for guaranteed savings.
Thus, it is already known to reduce the flow rate of two-inlet centrifugal blowers in a given circuit by fitting them with air-deflector elements such as deflectors or suction dampers. A deflector is formed by a circular disposition of blades mounted at a suction inlet on one side or the other of the blower wheel to turn about respective radial axes, e.g. centered on the axis of the wheel. A suction damper is likewise formed by a set of blades mounted in a cover, with the ability to be turned or varied in angular pitch about parallel axes.
In both the above-described prior art embodiments, the deflector elements are functionally connected to at least one means for controlling their position and pitch, and to conventional drive means such as a servo-motor. It is thus possible to position the deflector elements associated with an inlet so as to vary the suction flow rate.
It is known that by tilting the deflector elements in an appropriate manner, a rotary flow of air is created at the inlet to the blower wheel, which flow is usually directed to rotate in the same direction as the blower wheel. Compared with other systems for controlling the flow in the circuit, this rotary air flow has the consequence of reducing the power absorbed by the blower. When the angular displacement of the deflector elements associated with each inlet is obtained in symmetrical manner, the suction flow rate is identical or substantially identical through each inlet, and the results obtained with such apparatuses are represented by curve c shown in FIG. 1. Depending on the pitch of the deflector elements and on the operating conditions of the blower, expressed in percentage terms as a function of the maximum rate authorized for the installation, this curve shows how efficiency varies as a function of flow rate on a given installation, with the resistance of the system varying in proportion with the square of the flow rate.
It is generally considered that such flow rate control systems give overall satisfaction since they make it possible to achieve a relative improvement in device efficiency, Nevertheless, it turns out that the efficiencies obtained are insufficient, particularly in the normal operating ranges of blower units, corresponding, for example, to operating at partial loads of the order of 40% to 80%.
To improve the efficiency of blower units operating under partial load, proposals have already been made in Published German application No. 2538066, in the case of centrifugal blowers fitted with deflector control systems, to control the orientation of the deflectors of one inlet asynchronously or asymmetrically relative to the other. This asymmetry of operation in the suction flow makes it possible to achieve a significant improvement in the efficiency of a blower unit when partially loaded. Nevertheless, it appears that the economic optimum operating range for such devices is obtained at high partial loads.
Also, the cost of such apparatuses, particularly for high power blower machines, turns out to be a factor that can limit the use thereof.

Performance centrifugal blower apparatus including at least two suction inlets, and associated blower method


Provided is an indwelling catheter which is stiff when being inserted into a vessel such as a blood vessel, softens after indwelling in the vessel, and conforms to a shape in a direction in which the vessel runs. In the indwelling catheter, the maximum value of a catheter repulsive force in a dry state at 25° C. is 0.10 N or more; the maximum value of the catheter repulsive force when immersed in warm water at 37° C. is 0.01 to 0.25 N; a ratio of the maximum value of the catheter repulsive force in a dry state at 25° C. to the maximum value of the catheter repulsive force when immersed in warm water at 37° C. is in a range of 3.5:1 or more; and the maximum value of the catheter repulsive force when immersed in warm water at 37° C. is 0.027 N or less after 5 minutes from indwelling.

An indwelling needle used for an infusion solution and blood transfusion or the like can be a plastic catheter capable of indwelling in a blood vessel. The indwelling needle to be used can be connected to a tube extending from a receptacle, such as an infusion solution bag, containing an infusion solution or a medicinal solution in a state where the indwelling needle is indwelled in the blood vessel. The indwelling needle can have an integral structure through which a sharp-tipped internal needle made of metal or the like extends. This type of indwelling needle can be punctured into the blood vessel together with the internal needle and the catheter, and the internal needle is then withdrawn from the indwelling needle, and used in the same manner as described above.
Since it can be beneficial to secure a flow path of the indwelled catheter in order to perform injection of an infusion solution and a medicinal solution, it can be beneficial for the catheter to have excellent kink resistance. Furthermore, since operability when punctured and interaction of a blood vessel wall when punctured and after indwelled are affected by the mechanical properties of the catheter, it can be desirable for the catheter to have sufficient stiffness when punctured, and soften after indwelled.
Fluoroplastics such as polytetrafluoroethylene, ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymers can be used (for example, mainly used) as the material of the indwelling catheter. Since catheters made of fluoroplastics are stiff and have stiffness when punctured, the catheters are excellent in operability, and are likely to secure a blood vessel. However, catheters made of fluoroplastics do not sufficiently soften after indwelled in the vessel, and may damage the blood vessel wall. They are insufficient in kink resistance, which may pose a problem for securing the flow path of the infusion solution.
In view of such circumstances, polyurethane resins, which contain hard segments and soft segments and in which the soft segments contain a polyether, have recently been used as catheter materials for indwelling needles. For example, JP 4570707 B discloses an indwelling catheter containing a blend of a plurality of polyurethane resins containing polyglycols having different molecular weights.