Cellulose synthase (“CS”), a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of cellulose in plants is inhibited by herbicides comprising thiazolidinones such as 5-tert-butyl-carbamoyloxy-3-(3-trifluromethyl)phenyl-4-thiazolidinone (TZ), isoxaben and 2,6-dichlorobenzonitrile (DCB). Two mutant genes encoding isoxaben and TZ-resistant cellulose synthase have been isolated from isoxaben and TZ-resistant Arabidopsis thaliana mutants. When compared with the gene coding for isoxaben or TZ-sensitive cellulose synthase, one of the resistant CS genes contains a point mutation, wherein glycine residue 998 is replaced by an aspartic acid. The other resistant mutation is due to a threonine to isoleucine change at amino acid residue 942. The mutant CS gene can be used to impart herbicide resistance to a plant; thereby permitting the utilization of the herbicide as a single application at a concentration which ensures the complete or substantially complete killing of weeds, while leaving the transgenic crop plant essentially undamaged.

The ability to modify microorganisms and cells of higher organisms by genetic engineering has made it possible to change certain of their specific characteristics and thereby alter the response of those organisms to various agents. Of particular interest are the responses of organisms to agents used because of their cytotoxic effect. For example, many compounds used in agriculture are directed to the killing of pests, weeds, or the like. Often these compounds can have a relatively long residence time or extended residue in the plants subjected to treatment by the compound.
In many situations it is desirable to differentiate the species to be retained from the species to be killed. For example, it is often necessary to selectively destroy weeds, yet have minimal impact on the economically valuable crop plants. For the most part, broad-spectrum herbicides have a sufficiently adverse effect on crops that their use must be limited to emergent use or careful postemergent application.
Some weed species are simply resistant to today's herbicides, increasing the importance of developing the production of effective herbicides. Moreover, as some weed species are controlled, competition is reduced for the remaining tenacious weed species. The development of genetically engineered herbicide-resistant crop plants could significantly improve weed-control by allowing fields to be treated with a single, concentrated application of the herbicide. Therefore, a one-step procedure could eliminate costly and perhaps ineffective repeated low-dosage herbicidal treatments, such as have been required in the past to avoid damaging conventional crops, but which may have also induced the emergence of spontaneous herbicide-resistant weeds. Herbicides with greater potency, broader weed spectrum and more rapid degradation after application would avoid the problematic persistence of the chemical herbicide in the soil, such as typically results from frequently repeated applications, and which prevents rotation of crops sensitive to that herbicide.
Certain herbicides, while not used directly to control weeds in field crops, are used as total vegetation control agents to eliminate weeds entirely in certain right-of-way or industrial situations. However, these herbicides may be deposited by natural means, such as water run-off, onto areas where economically important crops are growing. As a result sensitive field crops may be killed or their growth seriously inhibited. It is therefore highly desirable to be able to modify viable cells to make them resistant to stressful cytotoxic agents.
Isoxaben (-3[1-ethyl-1-methylpropyl]-5-isoxazolyl-2,6,dimethoxybenzamide), 2,6-dichlorobenzonitrile (DCB) and thiazolidinones such as 5-tert-butyl-carbamoyloxy-3-(3-trifluromethyl) phenyl-4-thiazolidnone (TZ), are structurally diverse herbicides. On the basis of biochemical studies of mode of action, their primary target site has been proposed to be the enzyme cellulose synthase, which catalyses the synthesis of cellulose, a major component of plant cell walls. However, the precise target for these herbicides has not been previously described.
Isoxaben (EL-107, Flexidor, Gallery) is a preemergence, broad leaf herbicide used primarily on small grains, turf and ornamentals. The compound is extremely active with an I50 for Brassica napus of 20 nM (Lefebvre et al., 1987). Isoxaben inhibits the incorporation of glucose into the cellulose-rich, acid-insoluble fraction of isolated walls and is an extremely powerful and specific inhibitor of cell wall biosynthesis (Heim et al., 1990b; Corio-Costet et al., 1991 b). Cell wall-fractionation studies have revealed that the herbicidal action of isoxaben can be explained entirely by its effect on cellulose biosynthesis (Heim et al., 1991). Its probable mode of action is to directly inhibit cellulose synthesis, because resistant cell lines show an unaltered uptake or detoxification of the herbicide (Heim et al., 1991) and only two genetic loci in Arabidopsis thaliana, termed ixrA (=ixr1) and ixrB (=ixr2), have been shown to confer resistance (Heim et al., 1989, 1990a). Exhaustive studies have revealed that other cellular processes are unaffected by isoxaben (e.g. seed germination, mitosis, respiration, photosynthesis, and lipid and RNA synthesis, Lefebvre et al., 1987; Corio-Costet et al., 1991a). Treated cells fail to elongate with high fidelity and consequently grow isodiametrically (Lefebvre et al., 1987). This herbicide acts at much lower concentrations (<40×) than dichlobenil, another cellulose synthesis inhibitor (Heim et al., 1990b). Therefore, the properties of isoxaben make it an ideal agent for perturbing the mechanical properties of the primary cell wall.
Thiazolidinones such as 5-tert-butyl-carbamoyloxy-3-(3-trifluromethyl) phenyl-4-thiazolidnone (TZ) are a new class of N-phenyl-lactam-carbamate herbicides (Sharples et al, 1998). TZ shows potential for selective preemergence control of a range of weed species in soybean and other crops. Susceptible weeds include grasses such as Digitaria spp., Setaria spp., Sorghum spp., and small seeded broad leafed weeds which include Amaranthus spp., and Chenopodium spp. TZ has a similar syndrome of effects on plants as isoxaben. A common mode of action with isoxaben is indicated by the fact that the ixrA1 (=ixr1-1) mutant of Arabidopsis exhibits resistance to both isoxaben and TZ (Sharples et al., 1998).
The herbicide 2,6-dichlorobenzonitrile (dichlobenil, DCB) is an effective and specific inhibitor of cellulose synthesis in algae and plants (Delmer et al., 1987). It has been reported to bind to an 18 kd polypeptide in cotton fiber extracts but no mechanism for its action has been demonstrated and no function for the 18 kd protein has been reported.
A crop made more resistant to isoxaben and thiazolidinone herbicides offers a selective means to control and kill weeds without adversely affecting the crop plant. Clearly then, an understanding of the method by which weeds become resistant to herbicides at the molecular level is essential to establishing a basis for the development of sound weed control programs. The molecular basis underlying the expression of isoxaben and thiazolidinone-resistance had remained undetermined until the present invention. Therefore, identification of the mutation site(s) in the CS gene, which code for the mutant plant's isoxaben and thiazolidinone resistance is of agricultural significance. The isolation of a mutant CS gene, which confers resistance to isoxaben and thiazolidinone in higher plants, would provide an opportunity to introduce isoxaben and thiazolidinone resistance into crop plants by genetic engineering. Isoxaben and thiazolidinones, because of their broad-spectrum activity and low mammalian toxicity, are particularly suited as a type of herbicide to which genetically engineered resistance would be economically important in crop plants. The development of isoxaben and thiazolidinone-resistant crops would provide a reliable and cost-effective alternative to conventional weed management programs.
By modifying crop plant cells by the introduction of a functional gene expressing the isoxaben and thiazolidinone-resistant CS enzyme, one can use isoxaben and thiazolidinones or an analogous herbicide with a wide variety of crops at a concentration which ensures the substantially complete or complete removal of weeds, while leaving the crop relatively unaffected. In this manner, substantial economies can be achieved in that fertilizers and water may be more efficiently utilized, and the detrimental effects resulting from the presence of weeds avoided.
The genetic code is degenerate, meaning that more than one codon may be used to encode a particular amino acid, and therefore, the amino acid sequence can be encoded by any set of similar DNA oligonucleotides. With respect to nucleotides, therefore the term "derivative(s)" is intended to encompass those DNA sequences which contain alternative codons which code for the eventual translation of the identical amino acid.


An apparatus for continuous fabric decatizing, comprising a cylindrical drum, the outer lateral surface of which is covered with a sleeve of textile material about which the fabric is fed, the cylindrical drum and the sleeve being at least partially covered and embraced externally by an endless under-piece of textile material arranged so that at least one portion of the under-piece maintains the fabric in contact with the sleeve, the rotary drum being perforated and supported on a fixed coaxial inner cylinder having a diameter less than the drum and being maintained spaced therefrom by radial wall extensions which are positioned within the portion of the lateral surface of the drum in which the fabric is maintained in contact with the sleeve, and are connected together to define a chamber containing an atmosphere of steam under pressure fed from the outside of the fixed cylinder, and a subsequent forced suction treatment chamber.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for continuous fabric decatizing.
European patent EP-A-293028 describes a method for continuous fabric decatizing and the respective apparatus, in which the fabric is continuously fed to a zone in an environment of saturated steam under pressure, this zone being sealed towards the outside, and the fabric being maintained within this zone between at least one under-piece of textile material and a cylindrical drum covered with textile material.
That prior art method and the respective apparatus are not, however free of drawbacks and operational limitations. In particular, because the decatizing process comprises overall a fabric cooling stage following its steaming stage, the apparatus of that prior patent has to include a known fabric cooling device for this purpose. This device consists, for example of a perforated cylindrical suction drum of considerable overall size and plant complexity, representing a substantial investment and operating cost.

Apparatus for continuously decatizing a fabric


In a stator-excited synchronous machine with laminated sector stator elements (SS1 or SS2), which are arranged one behind another at an axial distance and are winding-excited by in each case one excitation winding part (EW1 or EW2) of opposite polarity, the operating efficiency can be increased with low outlay when a permanent magnet arrangement (M) having a magnetization opposing the winding excitation in the sector stator elements is provided in the axial spacing chamber between the sector stator elements (SS1 or SS2); in order to lock the position of the magnet arrangement (M), the facing laminations of the magnet arrangement (M) have bent-away tongues (Z) gripping radially from below.

The present invention relates to a motor and/or generator operating according to the reluctance principle and in particular, a motor and/or generator having a stator that has sector stators that are distributed over the circumference of the rotor and, are mutually magnetically separated. Each sector contains a pair of toothed sector stator elements. The pair of sector stator elements are arranged one behind the other and separated by an axial distance. Each stator sector element pair has common power windings, each ends in a radially projecting pole shank. Each pole shank can be excited in a polarity opposing the other sector stator element by an excitation winding part wrapped around it. Both pole shanks are connected radially outside by a return yoke.
A motor and/or generator operating according to the principle of the stator-excited synchronous machine of sectoral design is known from EP-B1-0,103,821.
In the configuration disclosed in that European patent document, the sector stator elements of a sector stator are mutually separated by an axial spacing chamber. The cylindrical circumferential surface of a flywheel, also used as a rotor of the motor and/or generator, especially for coupling a motor vehicle internal-combustion engine, is configured in the form of two spider wheels offset with a certain axial spacing distance.
DE-A-3,335,626 has disclosed a single-phase or multiphase a.c. machine with homopolar excitation and laminated stator cores, arranged axially one behind another. Axially magnetized magnets are inserted between the yoke arches for stray-field compensation.

Motor and/or generator operating according to the reluctance principle


A compound of formula I, ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3, R.sub.1 ', R.sub.2 ', and R.sub.3 ' are independently the same or different and each represent hydrogen, hydroxy, or lower alkoxy, or any vicinal two of R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3, R.sub.1 ', R.sub.2 ', and R.sub.3 ' combined together represent --O--(CH.sub.2).sub.n --O--, wherein n=1 or 2; R.sub.4 represents methylene or halomethyl; and X.sub.1, X.sub.2, X.sub.3, and X.sub.4 are independently the same or different and each represent hydrogen or halogen; or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. Also disclosed are a pharmaceutical composition that contains an effective amount of a compound of formula I together with a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient, and a method of treating cancer that involves the administration of an effective amount of the compound of formula I to a patient in need thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to butyrolactones having potential therapeutic antitumor activity. More particularly, the present invention relates to peperomin analogs and the use thereof in treating cancer.
2. Description of Related Arts
Increasing research has been devoted to developing synthetic routes to .gamma.-butyrolactones. This has been in large part due to interest in several biologically active natural products that have the .gamma.-butyrolactone moiety as a major structure feature. Examples of such biologically active natural products are peperomin, ambrosin, alantolactone, and euparotin.
These naturally occurring lactones have potential therapeutic application. However, they suffer from the problem of aqueous insolubility. Recently, a number of water-soluble ambrosin derivatives have therefore been prepared for potential use as prodrugs (See, Hejchman, et al. J. Med. Chem. 1995, 38, 3407). The water-soluble ambrosin analogs, known to possess potent antitumor activity, were prepared by reacting ambrosin with secondary amines, sodium bisulfite, or sodium dithionite via Michael addition. It is believed that after administration the Michael adducts are converted back to ambrosin by a retro-Michael mechanism.
Peperomins A, B, and C, each a lignan having unusual seco structure, were isolated from the Chinese plant Peperomia japonica Makino (Piperaceae). The aqueous and alcoholic decoctions of the whole herb are used in folk medicine for treating malignant tumors. The peperomin A, B, and C series can be regarded as 2-methyl-3-di[(substituted)phenyl]methyl .gamma.-lactone derivatives (see formula below). ##STR2## Peperomin A: R.sub.1, R.sub.2 =--OCH.sub.2 O--; R.sub.1 ', R.sub.2 '=--OCH.sub.2 O--; R.sub.3 .dbd.R.sub.3 '.dbd.OCH.sub.3
Peperomin B: R.sub.1 .dbd.R.sub.2 .dbd.OCH.sub.3 ; R.sub.1 ', R.sub.2 '=--OCH.sub.2 O-- PA1 Peperomin C: R.sub.1 .dbd.R.sub.2 .dbd.R.sub.3 .dbd.R.sub.1 '.dbd.R.sub.2 '.dbd.R.sub.3 '.dbd.OCH.sub.3
The isolation and synthesis of peperomins A, B, and C have been described (See, Chen, et al., Heterocycles, 1989, 29, 411 and Zee, et al., Journal of the Chinese Chemical Society 1990, 37, 583).
A problem encountered with current anticancer drugs, e.g., doxorubicin, is hypersensitivity towards leukemia cells versus other solid tumor cells.

.alpha.-methylene peperomins and halogenated derivatives thereof


A fluorescent composition for use with single-layer and multilayer optical discs for CD ROM, DVD and WORM type devices with fluorescent reading is disclosed. The composition comprises a fluorescent dye, film-forming polymer, plasticizer, surfactant and light stabilizer. A method of increasing fluorescent signal level from the optical discs both for single-layer and multilayer optical memory materials is also disclosed along with the resulting optical discs.

At present, digital data carriers with optical recording, storage and reading experience fast spreading. Usually, the data is recorded by local alteration of optical thickness or the active media reflection ratio, while reading takes place by phase or amplitude changes of the laser beam in the recorded spots.
The most cheap and absolute optical carriers are CD ROM and WORM discs. However, the capacity and signal/noise ratio of the existing optical discs is not high enough for the developed computers and videosystems of the new generation. Thus, there are intensive development of advanced optical memory systems with increased record density, high signal/noise ratio, increased storage and usage stability and low cost. The promising ways of increasing optical carrier capacity are:                increased number of active bits per active layer due to reduced pit length and increased number of pits; and        multilayer disc creation.
These ways were realized in the recently launched DVD standard, where pits are half in size, and the number of layers reaches 4—two from each side of the substrate. This allows reaching 25 GB capacity on disc.
At the same time, further increase of active layers on discs with reading by means of reflection causes a rapid rise in the system price and lowers the quality of recorded data reproduction. Thus, future increase of disc capacity is not possible. The patents JP 63,195,838 (12.08.1988) and JP 02,308,439 (21.12.1990) describe reading by means of fluorescence. The principle idea is that after recording the recorded spots are non-fluorescent, and the background is fluorescent. At reading, the relevant laser beam excites fluorescent light, which is registered on the detector.
The above patents describe single-layer optical discs with laser recording, i.e. of WORM type.
At the same time, the main advantage of fluorescent reading is its suitability for three-dimensional optical memory carriers, such as multilayer discs. [B. Glushko, V. Krugkin, E. Levich].
The principle construction of a multilayer optical disc with fluorescent reading is described in [B. Glushko, US Provisional Patent Application Aug. 5, 1997, N 25457].
Single-layer optical discs, where data is recorded in pits or spiral grooves filled with fluorescent material, are laminated on each other to form a multilayer system, where active layers containing fluorescent pits or grooves 0.5–1.0 μm in depth are separated by inactive intermediate layers of 20–50 μm in depth, that are transparent for the excitation laser wavelength and fluorescent light. Fluorescent media for a multilayer optical disc with fluorescent reading shall meet a range of requirements, the most important being:
1. Fluorescent media absorption range shall coincide with the reading laser wavelength.
2. Quantum yield of fluorescent media shall be the highest possible and shall stay the same during long-term storage and use.
3. Absorption and fluorescence ranges shall not overlap significantly so not to cause repeated absorption of fluorescent light.
4. Fluorescent composition shall not disperse the passing excitation radiation and fluorescent light.
5. Fluorescent light shall also coincide well with the matrix and shall not migrate from it.
6. Fluorescent composition shall fill the pits or grooves well and shall not tincture the space in between.
7. The solution used for filling pits or grooves shall not dissolve the substrate, carrying pits or grooves, or change their geometry and size.
8. Refraction ratio of the fluorescent composition shall be close to the one of the substrate, carrying pits or grooves.
9. Characteristics of the fluorescent composition shall not be effected by storage or use of a multilayer optical disc.
All these requirements make it a non-trivial task to solve. It is especially difficult to achieve high intensity of fluorescence from the active layer, if we consider it to be 100–500 nm thick, with the concentration of fluorescent dye equal to 3–20×10−2 Mol per kg of polymer. At such concentrations, the intensity of fluorescence from most of the organic luminophores will be rapidly reduced or can disappear due to the formation of associated forms of the dye with sandwich structure in the polymer. Such forms are non-fluorescent and they extinguish fluorescence of monomeric forms of the dye. Ability of the dye to form dimers and other associates is connected to the composition and structure of the polymeric matrix, used plasticizers and other ingredients of the polymeric composition. However, such high concentrations of the dye (3–20×10−2 Mol/kg) nearly always cause formation of associates.
Recently the medias for high-density optical CD ROM and WORM discs with fluorescent reading, including multilayer discs, were described in [M. Alperovich, E. Levich, I. Zuhl, et al. US Provisional Patent Appl. N Fluorescent Composition for production of the optical memory discs of CD ROM type; M. Alperovich, E. Levich, I. Zuhl, et al. US Provisional Patent Appln. Organic dye-in-polymer (DIP) medium for WORM disks with fluorescent reading; M. Alperovich, E. Levich, I. Zuhl, et al. US Provisional Patent Appln. Optical recording medium for fluorescent WORM discs; M. Alperovich, E. Levich, I. Zuhl, et al. US Provisional Patent Appln. Optical recording medium for fluorescent WORM disk including penetrated ion pairs in organic dyes].
The proposed fluorescent compositions were used for production of CD ROM and WORM discs with fluorescent reading, including multilayer structures. The recorded digital data was read on special drives, providing registration of the fluorescent signal. At the same time, further increase of fluorescence intensity from active layers of the optical discs is needed to increase stability and quality of the read data, to simplify the construction and to lower cost of production of the reading devices for fluorescent discs. This will also allow increasing the number of active layers on multilayer discs, thus increasing the optical memory capacity.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method for increasing fluorescent signal of optical disks with fluorescent reading and resultant discs


An accommodative intracapsular implant comprises a central optical part and at least two haptic arms (3, 4), the free ends (5, 6) of which are embodied to cooperate with parts of the equatorial zone of the capsular bag, wherein the optical part is formed by joining two elastically-deformable bodies, one body being formed as an envelope (1) and the other body being formed as a core (2).

There are now many implants. Most of them allow about recovering a far vision without accommodation possibility for a near vision.
Natural accommodation has made the subject of many studies with the aim to understand the phenomena which are involved to try to transpose them to the implants. The role of the capsular bag in the accommodation is extremely significant, in particular as an element of transmission to the crystalline matter of the forces generated by the ciliary muscle in the one or the other of its relaxed or contracted states, to which the capsular bag is connected by the zonular fibers.
Most recent work to date on the accommodative intracapsular lenses showed that the capsular bag and the crystalline matter are provided with their own elasticity which give the natural crystalline lens a modifiable form depending on the balance of forces between the state of tension of the zonular fibers, the elasticity of the capsular bag and the elasticity of the crystalline matter.
The loss of the accommodative capacity seems to be the result of an alteration of the module of elasticity of the crystalline matter in the course of the time, which opposes an increasingly large resistance to the force of the bag for finally solidifying in an invariable state (regarding the forces brought into play) close to its shape for the far vision. This is the phenomenon of presbyopia.


A method and system for reactively destroying alkyl halides in volume or stream of gas. The method and device employ nucleophilic reaction of the alkyl halide under phase transfer catalysis conditions. The method and system are useful for scrubbing applications requiring the reduction of alkyl halide concentrations to very low levels.

Many alkyl halides possess a degree of toxicity, sometimes very high toxicity. For example, the toxicity of methyl bromide is so great that it has been used for many years in the extermination of insects in mills, warehouses, vaults, ships, freight cars, and also as a soil fumigant for use by growers of strawberries, tomatoes, and other crops. Other applications include treatment of ships to remove rodents and treatment of foods such as fruits including dried fruits, grain, flour, nuts, and tobacco products to remove potential pests. Additionally, methyl bromide has been successful in fumigation against various microorganisms including fungi and bacteria. Recently, it has been advocated as the most effective agent against anthrax (Bacillus anthracis). Its virtues include the fact that it is not explosive, practically nonflammable, has excellent permeability, and has been used safely for over 60 years.
Unfortunately, the release of methyl bromide into the atmosphere is strongly suspected of causing ozone layer depletion that can result in increased incidences of skin cancer. Thus there is a need for methods of disposing of methyl bromide without releasing it to the atmosphere. In addition, there is a more general need for methods of rapidly and economically removing volatile alkyl halides such as methyl bromide from streams such as air or petroleum vapors.
Prior art methods for removal of alkyl halides can be divided into nondestructive and destructive ones. Most such methods in either category are not satisfactory for rapid removal of alkyl halides from gaseous streams and/or air volumes.
Non-destructive Methods of Alkyl Halide Removal
Non-destructive methods of alkyl halide removal typically involve either scrubbing by dissolution of the halide in an appropriate solvent, or by adsorption onto a suitable adsorbent. Scrubbing solvents that work by dissolution of the alkyl halide include for example vegetable oil and marine oil (Canadian Patent 1,282,317). Examples of applicable adsorbing agents include zeolites (U.S. Pat. No. 4,309,281), and activated carbon J. G.
Leesch, G. Knapp, B. E. Mackey, Methyl Bromide Adsorption on Activated Carbon to Control Emissions from Commodity Fumigations, www.nal.usda.gov/ttic/tektran/data/000008/58/0000085839.html, also: J. G. Leesch, G. Knapp, B. E. Mackey, J. Stored Prod. Res., 36, 65, 2000). Methods based on the use of adsorbents or scrubbing solvents suffer from non-discriminatory scrubbing of other volatile compounds in the gas streams, resulting in the formation of unwanted degradation products during regeneration of the adsorbent or scrubbing solvent.
Destructive Methods of Alkyl Halide Removal
Japanese Kokai JP 49127862 discloses a method involving a reaction of methyl bromide in isopropanol with ethanolamine dissolved in water. The method takes advantage of a nucleophilic substitution reaction that is, however, not sufficiently rapid for a variety of applications. Another method employs bioreactors and specific species of a-Proteobacteria that can directly oxidize and grow on methyl halides (L. G. Miller, S. M. Baesman, R. S. Oremland, Use of Bioreactors to Remove Methyl Bromide Following Contained Fumigations, Proceedings of 2002 Annual International Research Conference on Methyl Bromide Alternatives and Emissions Reductions; also: L. G. Miller, S. M. Baesman, R. S. Oremiand, Bioreactors for Removing Methyl Bromide following Contained Fumigations, Environ. Sci. Technol., 37, 1698, 2003). Yet another destructive method (F. G. Belmonte, K. J. Abrams, J. P. Oppenheim, U.S. Pat. No. 6,207,120 B1; Mar. 27, 2001) proposes to heat and mix a vent gas containing an alkyl halide with a combustible fluid, followed by catalytic oxidation of the mixture.
Despite these advances, there continues to be a need for rapid and efficient means for removing alkyl halides at low and moderate concentrations from gas streams.


A wrench of the ratchet type which can rotatably advance a first workpiece about a second workpiece in a ratchet condition by angularly moving a handle thereof or in a condition disengaged from the ratchet condition by rotating an end portion of a drive shaft extending from the handle. Additionally, the present invention includes a socket ejection mechanism which is operative with the drive shaft.

In the past, many different types of ratchet wrenches have been developed to rapidly advance a first workpiece such as a nut onto or off of a second workpiece such as a bolt. Of particular interest are two ratchet wrenches described in my patents, U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,025 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,940. My U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,025 discloses an improved ratchet wrench that has a selectable ratcheting action to rotate an annular driver member in either direction by angularly moving an elongated handle. This ratchet wrench includes a three position ratchet pawl switch that has a first position to effect ratcheting action in one direction, a second position to effect ratcheting action in the opposite direction and a third position to effect disengagement of the ratcheting action. A drive shaft is slidably and rotatably disposed within a bore of the handle and extends outwardly from a distal end of the handle so that the annular driver member can be rotated in either direction when the ratchet pawl switch is in the third position. The pawl is pivotally connected within a housing of the ratchet wrench by a pivot pin. A select one of a pair of shoulders engages peripheral teeth of the annular driver member. Since the length of the peripheral teeth of the annular driver member is greater than the length of each of the shoulders of the pawl element, only a portion of the peripheral teeth is utilized to effect ratcheting action. A spring ball assembly cooperates with a pair of annular grooves formed into the drive shaft to resiliently retain the drive shaft either in a ratcheting condition or a condition disengaged from the ratcheting condition. A set screw fasten to the housing of the ratchet wrench retains the spring ball assembly therein in its working state. A sleeve carrying a pair of beveled gears and a disk element is slidably received onto and connected to an end portion of the drive shaft within the housing of the ratchet wrench. The sleeve is secured to the end portion of the drive shaft by a second set screw.
My U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,940 discloses a ratchet wrench having features similar to the ratchet wrench described in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,025. However, my U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,940 describes a ratchet wrench having a socket release mechanism. The socket release mechanism enables the annular driver member to engage and disengage a socket by linearly urging the drive shaft into the handle and the cavity of the housing. A first portion of the shaft is circular in cross-section and extends through and outwardly of the handle. A second portion of the drive shaft extends into a cavity of the housing and has a square cross-section or a rounded cross-section with a slot and key arrangement so that a sleeve having a pair of beveled gears and a disk element can rotate simultaneously with the drive shaft. The second portion of the drive shaft slidably receives the sleeve. The sleeve houses a spring which resiliently biases the sleeve into the cavity of the housing and the drive shaft outwardly of the handle. The end of the drive shaft extending into the cavity of the housing includes a conically-shaped element which contacts a plunger of the socket release mechanism. When the drive shaft is resiliently urged into the handle and cavity, the conically-shaped element urges the plunger into a central opening formed in the annular driver member to cause a ball to recess therein, thus, releasing the socket.
Despite the advantages associated with the ratchet wrenches described in my patents, neither of the ratchet wrenches is sealed. Thus, unwanted materials, such as dust particles and water, can infiltrate the cavity of the housing and the bore of the handle. Due to the variety of features of my ratchet wrenches, the pawl element is diminished in thickness at the shoulders which limits the torque which can be applied without shearing the ratchet teeth from the annular driver member or the shoulders from the pawl element. Further, a pin is used so that the pawl element can pivot within the cavity of the housing, and such pins can wear out and sometimes break. Also, the biasing element positions the pawl element in either a first or a second ratchet condition. The biasing element is unable to resiliently retain the pawl element in a disengaged condition from the annular driver member. These ratchet wrenches rely upon a disk element to retain the pawl element in the disengaged condition. Also, the release mechanism described in my patent releases a retention force applied radially against the socket. The socket must then be either shaken from the stubshaft or removed by hand.
There is a need in the industry to provide a ratchet wrench which is simple to construct and assemble yet provide the advantages and features of the ratchet wrenches described hereinabove. It would be advantageous if such a ratchet wrench can be manufactured with a minimum of components such as by eliminating pivot pins and set screws. Also, there is a need in the industry to provide a more rugged ratchet wrench without limiting the features and benefits of currently existing ratchet wrenches. It would be advantageous if the length of the peripheral teeth of the annular driver member and the length of each shoulder of the pawl element be equal so that they can be fully engaged when operative. The present invention satisfies these needs and provides these advantages.


The utilization of a specific preconcentration protocol within an automated, on-line drinking water analysis method to amplify detection levels of individual halo acetic acids is provided. The proposed sequential injection analysis procedures allow for measuring such levels in drinking water samples from remote locations with post-column reaction of ion chromatography (PCR-IC). The novel remote preconcentration method injects such known concentrations via a syringe at regular intervals in a manner to provide a baseline measurement that accords a reliable comparison with the unknown amounts present within the drinking water samples at issue. In such a manner, the on-line, remote system provides the necessary reliability for a water utility or like entity on which to base any further needed water treatment activities without having to perform such measurements in a distinct lab setting.

Drinking water has been, and continues to be, heavily treated for bacteria and other microscopic organisms that may cause infection in humans and other animals subsequent to consumption. In order to disinfect water supplies, halogenated materials have been introduced therein that have proven more than adequate for such a purpose. Unfortunately, although such halogenated compounds (chlorinated and chloraminated types, primarily) exhibit excellent disinfection capabilities, when present within aqueous environments containing organic compounds at certain pH levels these halogenated compounds may generate byproducts that may themselves create health concerns. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in fact regulates five specific types of haloacetic acids within drinking water, monochloroacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, monobromoacetic acid, and dibromoacetic acid. Removal of such compounds from drinking water is not economically feasible thus, residual amounts may remain within treated water supplies that may require further removal processes to be undertaken. Of course, if the level of contamination is sufficiently low, initiation of such potentially expensive removal steps would be unwise from an economic perspective.
The USEPA currently has set a maximum contaminant level for the five haloacetic acids (collectively referred to as HAA5; four other haloacetic acids are currently not regulated by the USEPA, bromochloroacetic acid, bromodichloroacetic acid, dibromochloroacetic acid, and tribromoacetic acid; including these, the total haloacetic acid group is known as HAA9) at a total amount of 0.060 mg L−1 and for the trihalomethanes at 0.080 mg L−1. It is thus important to reliably analyze and measure the total amount of such contaminants in order to determine if removal or reduction is necessary.
The USEPA has instituted its own testing methods for such a purpose. One, known as EPA 552.2, involves the liquid-liquid extraction of haloacetic acids from water sources into methyl-t-butyl ether, followed by derivatization with acidic methanol to form the corresponding haloacetic acid methyl esters. Analysis by gas chromatography-electron capture detection provides reliable measurements of the haloacetic acid amounts present within the subject water supply. The other, USEPA 552.3, is a derivative of the first with optimizations of acidic methanol neutralization procedures for improvement in brominated trihalogenated haloacetic acid species. Both methods are generally robust and capable of analyzing diverse drinking water matrices for each HAA9 species with low method detection limit (MDL) values (<0.5 μg L−1) and excellent accuracy and precision values. Such values are thus of great importance for any other type of drinking water analytical method in order to ensure exactness of results so the utility may properly respond to any measured levels that are unacceptably high. If the detection limits, however, are of an improper scale, the exact levels of such disinfection byproducts may be difficult to properly measure for such a purpose and the resultant drinking water samples may be considered acceptable when, in effect, such are outside the necessary parameters.
Unfortunately, these general processes have also been found to have numerous drawbacks, however. For instance, injection port temperature can affect debromination of certain haloacetic acid species (particularly tribrominated types) that may lead to under-representation of the amount of such contaminants present within the tested water source. Likewise, the water content of the methyl-t-butyl ether extract may decarboxylate the haloacetic acids, again leading to an under-reporting of the actual amounts present within the test sample. Furthermore, the involved processing needed to actually undergo such analysis makes an on-line protocol rather difficult to implement, particularly when hourly sampling is necessary. Other derivatization methods have been either followed or suggested for gas chromatography analyses of drinking water sources as well, including utilizing diazomethane, acidic ethanol, and aniline. Such reactant-based measurements, however, all suffer the same time and labor-intensive problems as with the two EPA test procedures noted above. As such, on-line analysis through these protocols are difficult, expensive, and labor intensive to implement.
Measurement at the source (i.e., within a water purification plant location) may be effective for system-wide average readings; however, in the large supplies of water at such locations, the chances of proper sampling to that effect may be suspect since the contaminants may be present in varied locations, rather than definitively mixed throughout the tested water supply itself. Additionally, testing may not uncover the actual level of residual haloacetic acid disinfection byproducts prior to the water supply being disbursed to distant dispense sites (transfer pipes, homes, schools, businesses, etc.). In any event, there is a relatively new regulation in place that requires utilities to provide evidence of compliance with haloacetic acid levels at multiple locations, rather than a straightforward system-wide average. Thus, since the above-described derivatization procedures with gas chromatography-electron capture detection analytical methods and purge and trap gas chromatography with either previously mentioned detector are not suitable for a uniform haloacetic acid measurement scheme, there is thus a drive to implement remote testing via real-time, on-line methods for water supply HAA5, and, more importantly, for HAA9 contaminant level measurements.
A variety of testing protocols have been suggested for water utility drinking water source analytical procedures. For instance, high performance liquid chromatography, utilizing electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry or ultraviolet absorbance as the detector, has been attempted, as well as ion chromatography, with membrane-suppressed conductivity detection or, as well, ultraviolet absorbance detection. Other attempts with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry coupled with ion chromatography have been followed as well for this same purpose. The detection level can be as low as 0.5 to less than 10 μg L−1 for HAA9 species, but only subsequent to sample preparations. The sensitivity and selectivity of ion chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography methods are easily sacrificed without the cumbersome preparations in place, therefore requiring operator intervention during analysis. Again, as with the USEPA methods, these issues invariably lead to serious drawbacks when on-line implementation is necessary. Attempts at implementing these measuring schemes in such a desirable on-line, remote test procedure have basically failed.
However, such a desirable on-line procedure has been achieved, to a certain extent, for the determination of both the amount and separate identification of each haloacetic acid species (within a certain degree of reliability, such a unique process allows for a rough determination in an on-line setting of the amount of each separate species present within the tested water source). Unfortunately, however, such a new test protocol does not provide a specific enough measurable result to match the necessarily effective MDL results provided by both USEPA 552.2 and 552.3 standards (which are roughly a degree of magnitude more effective). Since any measurements made along a water line must provide extremely reliable results in this manner, particularly at any point along such a line, there remains a noticeable need to increase the degree of measurement reliability for an on-line, remote system. Again, since the USEPA test standards are not effective in such settings, such a need is amplified as proper HAA5 (or HAA9) measurements are required to be as specific (and thus as reliable) to the same levels as for USEPA 552.3, at least, along the entirety of a water line to be acceptable. With the increase in water needs around the country (if not the planet), and the requirement that such water sources not only exhibit proper levels of microbe activity (essentially, or, at least, desirably, none), and thus are subject to chlorination (or chloramination) to a large degree, the need to provide a more reliable testing measure for such chlorination byproducts within a drinking water line is evident.
As well, the ability to provide such test results in an on-line, remote setting to the degree of magnitude that mirrors those obtained through the USEPA test standards should be time-effective and involve the utilization of suitable (and reliable) reagents to generate such reliable measurements. It is important to realize, too, that the USEPA standards are tedious, time consuming, and require a skillful hand for successful analysis. For instance, these procedures require over 20 consecutive steps for sample preparation, followed by a 40 minute analysis time using gas chromatography with electron capture detection (GC-ECD). Both USEPA methods excel at parallel, grab-sample analysis, but primarily where turnaround times of 1 to 2 days are acceptable. The current regulations, though, as alluded to above, require greater efficiencies such that a water utility needs to know the specific levels of HAA activity is along a water source line as soon as possible in order to effectuate the necessary additions of reagents therein to combat such carcinogenic materials immediately. As such, the USEPA tests are simply improper (and inefficient) for on-line, real-time monitoring and optimization where such immediate turn-around for concentration data is required.
The prior on-line systems that have been developed to compete with the USEPA standards utilize a post-column reaction-ion chromatography platform (PCR-IC) with two different forms of selectivity for the HAA9 species: 1) separation using an ion chromatography column and 2) reaction with nicotinamide in basic solution as post-column reagent to produce a fluorescent product. The problem with the original protocol, unfortunately, was that bromochloroacetic acid interfered with dichloro- and dibromoacetic acid quantifications. Despite this problematic limitation, it was determined that fluorescence detection provided a much improved detection protocol in comparison with ultraviolet absorbance and mass spectrometry possibilities. Thus, although such a fluorescence method of detection, coupled with the post-column reaction (again with nicotinamide reagent) and ion chromatography, exhibited the best results in terms of an on-line test method for HAA5 drinking water contaminant measurement levels, there remained a definite need for improvements in total haloacetic acid measurements and identifications within such test samples. Since then, this PCR-IC method for HAAs has been updated for determination of HAA9 species and inclusion of an on-line, internal standard calibration protocol using 2-bromobutanoic acid (2-BBA). This PCR-IC method is an efficient analyzer for on-line, real-time monitoring of the HAA9 species, and reports concentration data immediately after analysis. This protocol also does not require manual sample handling or preparation steps prior to analysis, and uses commercial, off-the-shelf components. As well, such an alternative has permitted compensation for both random and systematic errors, accounts for any signal fluctuations, and drastic reductions in calibration time.
Such a PCR-IC instrument has been extensively compared with the USEPA 552.3 standard, based particularly on MDL, accuracy, precision, and side-by-side comparison studies in real-world drinking water samples. The MDL values for the individual HAA9 species for the PCR-IC range from 1-5 μg L−1 and the USEPA MDLs range from 0.04 to 0.4 μg L−1, both with acceptable accuracy and precision as defined by the USEPA. The MDL values for the PCR-IC are generally an order of magnitude larger than the USEPA MDL values, but despite this difference, the bias between the two methods is acceptable in drinking water samples, with Total HAA9 concentrations ranging from 5 μg L−1 up to 50 μg L−1. The bias of the individual HAA9 species was found to be within a factor of 1-1.5 of the respective MDL, thus bias values for DCAA are expected to be highest since it has the highest MDL of the HAA9 species.
The empirical relationship between bias and MDL indicates that improving the MDL values of the PCR-IC analyzer will also improve the bias between PCR-IC and the USEPA 552.3 analysis. Unfortunately, such improvements have proven difficult to achieve, particularly in a manner that allows water utilities to completely (or significantly) supplant the utilization of USEPA standards as the basis of HAA measurements within drinking water supplies. Again, the ability to provide reliable, effective, and timely MDL levels for drinking water HAA concentrations, in this respect, would be highly desirable within this industry.
Of possibly even greater interest, however, is the capability of any such system to provide reliable testing results at effective time intervals. Past measuring techniques have proven effective on monthly or quarterly schedules; desired timeframes, however, as noted above, are hourly, at least, instead. The past analytical procedures discussed above, are rather difficult to employ at remote locations to begin with; to attempt testing every hour further exacerbates an already cumbersome procedure. On-line monitoring, though highly prized in the drinking water industry, has thus proven difficult to employ. Even with mobile methods in use, bench-top scale instruments have been necessary, rather than portable devices for such applications. Additionally, the reliability of any such on-line monitoring system has been highly suspect due to fluctuations in readings as calibration for short-term measuring intervals has not been easily incorporated therein, let alone actually followed.
To compound the difficulties associated with on-line monitoring systems of this type, the reliability of measurement and analysis of water samples is based upon the capability of the overall system to provide reproducible results at different times. With a standard sample provided for rather long periods of time until a new sample may be introduced within the remote system, the possibility that the standard has been altered through temperature fluctuations over time, or growth or production of undesirable organisms or chemical species therein during storage may cause problems ultimately in the resultant measurements.
There thus exists a need to provide an effective remote calibration system in order to alleviate such potential analytical disparities. To date, the best on-line, remote systems employed for such drinking water analysis at hourly intervals appear to lack the necessary degree of concentration measurements set forth by the USEPA protocols. Even with a calibrated procedure that allows for more reliable measures at different time intervals, the primary deficiency lies in the exactness of the actual measurement levels. As noted above, the MDL recordations for USEPA tests are a full magnitude below that for these prior PCR-IC test procedures, both with and without calibration steps present. Thus, again, there still remains a need to provide such an effective on-line, remote drinking water analysis process, but with measurement levels on par with USEPA results. Such a continuous system would basically involve testing procedures that are automatically undertaken remotely in regular intervals, whether by the hour, minute, day, etc. The ability to undertake remote testing and analysis permits on-line and real-time quantification and/or qualification of potential contaminants (i.e., total haloacetic acid species) with little human involvement in the overall testing procedures thus provides significant efficiencies to such overall water sample testing capabilities. In order to provide reliable data in such remote locations, there is an expressed need to provide such effective MDL measurement results within the overall testing system in order to ensure the user is provided the most exact measurements on demand at any point of the subject water line, and when the contaminants themselves are most likely present at rather low concentrations. The capability of not only providing an on-line method for such contaminant analysis, but, as well, an overall water analysis system that functions remotely, too, would thus permit the greatest level of reliability possible on which a water utility or other like entity would base its water treatment activities, particularly when based upon water samples located within transfer lines, and not solely present in a laboratory. To date, although prior water analysis methods have been attained and proposed for on-line, remote analytical purposes, the ability to provide remote water testing protocols that render highly reliable and exact measurements without human interaction or like involvement has not been provided the pertinent industries.

Fully automated sequential injection analysis method for preconcentration of haloacetic acids in drinking water samples


Memory cells in which an erase and write operation is performed by injecting electrons from a substrate and extracting the electrons into a gate electrode constitute a semiconductor nonvolatile memory device. That is a gate extraction semiconductor nonvolatile memory device. In that device, if an erase bias is applied in a first process of an erase and write operation, memory cells in an overerase condition occur and the charge retention characteristics of such memory cells are degraded. The present invention provides a semiconductor nonvolatile memory device using means for writing all the memory cells in an erase unit before applying the erase bias, and then applying the erase bias.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device, in particular, to a structure of a semiconductor nonvolatile memory device and improvement of reliability thereof. The semiconductor nonvolatile memory device is mounted on the same substrate as a semiconductor device having a logic operation function, which is typified by a microcomputer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Semiconductor nonvolatile memory devices of a floating gate type are widely used. In recent years, MONOS or MNOS memory devices that store electric charge in charge trapping films are reassessed in terms of applications such as large capacity data storage and implementation on the same silicon substrate as logic semiconductor devices. Hereinafter, a single semiconductor nonvolatile memory device is referred to as a memory cell. A whole device that is comprised of a plurality of the memory cells and has a nonvolatile memory function is referred to as a semiconductor nonvolatile memory device. In relation to the present invention, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,408,115 showing operations for injecting and extracting electrons into/from memory cells is known. This document discloses a technique for injecting electrons into a three-layer charge storage structure consisting of an oxide film, a nitride film, and an oxide film by source-side hot-electron injection. The document also discloses a technique for extracting the electrons into a gate electrode by applying a positive voltage to the gate electrode.


A semiconductor photodetector comprises: a semiconductor substrate; a first multilayer reflective layer on a first surface of the semiconductor substrate and including semiconductor layers; a first optically-resonant layer on the first multilayer reflective layer; a second multilayer reflective layer on the first optically-resonant layer and including semiconductor layers; a light absorbing layer on the second multilayer reflective layer; a reflective film on the light absorbing layer; and an antireflective film on a second surface of the semiconductor substrate. The first optically-resonant layer has a larger thickness than the semiconductor layers of the first and second multilayer reflective layers. The combined optical thickness of the layers between the second multilayer reflective layer and the reflective film is not equal to the optical thickness of the first optically-resonant layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a resonant cavity enhanced semiconductor photodetector, and more particularly to such a semiconductor photodetector which exhibits reduced variation in quantum efficiency with wavelength.
2. Background Art
In recent years, as more and more optical transmission systems for optical communications have been designed to operate at ultrahigh speed, there is a need to increase the efficiency and speed of semiconductor photodetectors, which make up the backbone of these optical transmission systems. In order to meet this need, use has been made of resonant cavity enhanced photodiodes (or PDs), in which light is repeatedly reflected to increase the light absorption efficiency (see, e.g., Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-308368).

Semiconductor photodetector with improved quantum efficiency as a function of detected light wavelength


A percussion tool is described and which includes a housing mounting a tool bit; a reciprocally moveable hammer borne by the housing and which is operable to repeatedly strike the tool bit; and a reciprocally moveable piston enclosed within the hammer and which imparts reciprocal movement to the reciprocally moveable hammer.

The prior art is replete with numerous examples of rotary hammer driving mechanisms and hammer-drill arrangements and which are useful in construction and mining applications. In high power hammer-drill applications, compressed air driven hammer-drills are frequently employed in view of the high energy that can be delivered by such relatively lightweight man portable devices. However, in these previous prior art assemblies, the compressed air driven hammer-drills are very energy inefficient. In this regard, it has been calculated that these compressed air hammer-drills utilize only on the order of about 20% of the available energy delivered by the compressed air. As should be understood, and for example in commercial mining operations, this inefficiency results in significant power costs. Additionally, distributing a large quantity of compressed air to various work locations, such as in a mine, and other similar environments can require the fabrication of large, complex and expensive air piping systems.
To eliminate the need for compressed air, electric hammer drills have been produced but have had other limitations with respect to the amount of energy percussion that could be delivered. In these prior art arrangements, it has been well known that hammer-drill power is typically the product of the hammer impact energy per blow, and the blow frequency. In this regard, three avenues for increasing hammer effectiveness are available, those being, 1) increasing the hammer velocity, 2) increasing the hammer weight, and/or 3) increasing the hammer blow frequency. From experience there is an upper limit to the hammer velocity beyond which hammer and tool materials begin to fail. Furthermore, to the degree that the hammer weight is increased, the overall weight of the resulting tool and the tool vibration correspondingly increases. Still further, it has been known that increasing the hammer weight typically results in a reduction of the hammer blow frequency. This is due to the fact that as the hammer weight increases, it typically takes more time for the hammer to be reset and readied for another impact in view of the weight and corresponding friction, which acts upon the hammer.
A new and improved percussion tool which addresses these and other shortcomings of the prior art devices is the subject matter of the present application.


A method of completing a subsea borehole including connecting a first vessel to a subsea wellhead assembly via a riser. A borehole is drilled with a drill string communicated to the subsea wellhead assembly through the riser. A lower completion assembly is run on a service string into the borehole through the riser. At least two barrier valves of the lower completion assembly are set with the service string in order to form a mechanical barrier to fluid flow with each of the at least two barrier valves. The riser is disconnected from the subsea wellhead assembly. An upper completion string is run through open water to the borehole and connected to the lower completion assembly. An lower completion assembly for a subsea borehole is also included.

Subsea completions are known in the downhole drilling and completions industry. In subsea completions a drilling vessel is used to drill and complete a borehole. The drilling vessel connects at a subsea wellhead to the borehole via a riser, which is important for maintaining downhole fluid control with a column of fluid held in the riser. For this reason, the drilling vessel and riser remain in place until the borehole is fully completed and ready for production. The daily costs to operate a drilling vessel are very high and it can take a significant amount of time to finish the completion process. The industry would well receive methods and systems for reducing the cost to complete subsea wells.


A process for the preparation of an esterification product comprises reacting a polyfunctional organic acid or anhydride and a cyclic organic carbonate compound in the presence of a catalyst to form an esterification product. The catalyst comprises a quaternary ammonium salt and a component selected from the group consisting of a metal, a salt of a metal, and mixtures thereof.

Polyester-based resins, such as those formed from saturated and unsaturated polyesters, are utilized in a wide variety of end-use applications. The resins can be used, for example, in conjunction with other types of materials to form a composite. As an example, a prepreg is a composite consisting of fiber reinforcements placed within the resin, which is typically molded with pressure or vacuum to provide a variety of molded articles. Prepregs have applications in aerospace, transportation, appliances, sanitary ware, and the like. Polyester resins can also be diluted with organic solvents such as styrene to form laminating resins or gel coats. Typically, such resins are coated onto components which are used as panels forming the exterior bodies of vehicles, marine vessels, aircraft, and the like.
Traditional processes of forming saturated and unsaturated polyesters have involved the thermal dehydration of polyfunctional organic acids and alcohols, more particularly, dicarboxylic acids and diols. These processes, however, are disadvantageous in that long reaction times are involved, along with extreme processing conditions with respect to temperature and pressure. For example, such reactions occur at temperatures from 200.degree. C. to 260.degree. C. and pressures from 10 to 40 psi and can take from 20 to 40 hours.
Other efforts have focused on producing polyesters by reacting a carboxylic acid or anhydride with an organic carbonate, such as ethylene or propylene carbonate, in the presence of a catalyst. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,549,692 to Bockmann et al. proposes the reaction between an anhydride of a carboxylic acid and a cyclic carbonate of an alkylene glycol in the presence of imidazole catalysts. U.S. Pat. No. 4,613,678 to Swart proposes the esterification of aromatic dicarboxylic acids with cyclic alkylene carbonates in the presence of pyridine and pyridine-substituted catalysts. The products formed in these reactions are used in the preparation of polyesters.
The above catalysts, however, suffer from drawbacks. Specifically, the catalysts cause the esterification products to exhibit a high degree of undesired coloration which is aesthetically unpleasing. The products also are capable of forming highly-colored complexes when mixed with carboxylic acid and anhydride monomer in the preparation of saturated and unsaturated polyesters.
In response to the above shortcomings, U.S. Pat. No. 5,714,568 to Nava proposes preparing an esterification product by reacting a polyfunctional organic acid or anhydride, a cyclic organic carbonate, and a catalyst that may be an alkali metal, an alcohol-derived salt of an alkali metal, or mixtures thereof to form the esterification product. Although the '568 Nava patent potentially addresses the above-mentioned problems in the art, there remains a need to provide processes for preparing esterification products which exhibit improved reaction times relative to prior art processes.
In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide processes for forming esterification products that are faster in comparison to conventional processes.

Process for preparing esterification products from cyclic organic carbonates using catalysts comprising quaternary ammonium salts


A photovoltaic system can include multiple photovoltaic power inverters that convert sunlight to power. An amount of power for each of the inverters can be measured over a period of time. These measurements, along with other data, can be collected. The collected measurements can be used to generate artificial neural networks that predict the output of each inverter based on input parameters. Using these neural networks, the total solar power generation forecast for the photovoltaic system can be predicted.

With the development of photovoltaic (PV) or other similar technologies in recent years, renewable energy sources have been used more frequently across the U.S. and worldwide. Policies, such as Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), are gaining more and more attention due to the increasing penetration of renewable energy production in the conventional utility grid. As of March of 2015, with 46 states already in use across the country and over 100 RPS bills pending, deciding how to best promote solar energy to compete with other major players in the renewable source market is a priority for many solar power producers, utility companies and independent service operators (ISO).
The widespread implementations of solar power systems are impeded by many factors, such as weather conditions, seasonal changes, intra-hour variability, topographic elevation and discontinuous production. Operators need to acquire solar energy production information ahead of the time to counter the operating costs caused by energy reserve requirements or shortage of electricity supplies from PV systems. To fully utilize solar energy, reliable mechanisms to predict solar production are necessary.
The drawings illustrate only example embodiments and are therefore not to be considered limiting of the scope described herein, as other equally effective embodiments are within the scope and spirit of this disclosure. The elements and features shown in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the embodiments. Additionally, certain dimensions may be exaggerated to help visually convey certain principles. In the drawings, similar reference numerals between figures designate like or corresponding, but not necessarily the same, elements.

Systems and methods of hierarchical forecasting of solar photovoltaic energy production

Board of Regents, The University of Texas System


A surgical cannula assembly is provided having a housing defining a channel extending from a proximal end to a distal end of the housing, at least one fluid flow regulator member disposed across the channel, which forms a substantial barrier to the passage of fluids in at least one direction, a cannula extending from the housing distal end in fluid communication with the channel, and a selector valve operatively connected to the cannula assembly housing and movable to at least a first orientation establishing a first fluid pathway from the channel to the environment outside the housing and a second orientation establishing a second fluid pathway from the channel to the outside environment.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to surgical cannula assemblies and more particularly, to fluid flow control selector apparatus for surgical cannulae.
2. Description of Related Art
Insufflatory surgery involves filling a body cavity with a pressurized gas, normally CO.sub.2, to maintain the cavity under a certain predetermined pressure. One way of performing the surgery is by first puncturing the skin in a desired body cavity region with a needle. The needle, typically a Verres needle, includes a stylet which introduces an insufflation gas into the body cavity to inflate it.
A trocar is then used to puncture the body cavity. The trocar is inserted through a cannula or sheath, which cannula partially enters the body cavity through the incision made by the trocar. The trocar may then be removed from the cannula, and a surgical instrument such as an endoscope, graspers, clip appliers, forceps, etc., may be inserted through the cannula to perform the desired task within the anatomical cavity.
Various types of cannula or trocar assemblies are provided with valves for maintaining a certain gas pressure in the cavity when the trocar or other surgical instrument is removed from the cannula. One example of such an assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,280 to Lander which features a cannula assembly having a flapper valve that is biased toward a closed position when no surgical instrument is inserted in the cannula assembly. In such devices, in order to rapidly desufflate the body cavity, the flapper valve may be selectively biased to the open position by a lever provided on the exterior of the cannula housing.
Another type of cannula or trocar assembly that maintains the seal of the insufflated body cavity utilizes one-way valve members, for example, elastomeric duck bill valves, to effectively retain the insufflation gases. Such devices have a stop-cock valve with a single fluid passageway located distal of the duck bill valve to facilitate the insufflation or desufflation of fluids from the body cavity. However, in order to desufflate, the insufflatory tubing must generally be removed therefrom.
One disadvantage of such cannula assemblies is that the maximum rate of insufflation and desufflation are equal due to the diameter of the single fluid passageway formed by the stop-cock with the channel of the cannula housing. Such devices, do not provide the user with the ability to selectively open the duck-bill in a similar manner as for the flapper valve, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,280 to Lander. Therefore, a need exists to provide a surgical cannula or trocar assembly which provides the user with a stop-cock assembly having a plurality of fluid flow paths to provide the ability to selectively insufflate or desufflate the body cavity without the necessity of adjusting or repositioning insufflatory tubing or the like.

Fluid flow control apparatus for surgical cannulae


A cache may be programmed to disable one or more entries from allocation for storing memory data (e.g. in response to a memory transaction which misses the cache). Furthermore, the cache may be programmed to select which entries of the cache are disabled from allocation. Since the disabled entries are not allocated to store memory data, the data stored in the entries at the time the cache is programmed to disable the entries may remain in the cache. In one specific implementation, the cache also provides for direct access to entries in response to direct access transactions.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to the field of caching and, more particularly, to mechanisms for disabling a portion of a cache.
2. Description of the Related Art
Processors typically provide a set of registers which may be used by programs as a high speed, private storage for operands. The operands stored in registers may be frequently accessed variables, or may be intermediate results in a complex, multi-instruction calculation. Unfortunately, for many tasks, the number of registers provided in the processor may be too few to hold all of the operands of interest. In such cases, many of the frequently accessed variables and/or intermediate results are written to and read from memory locations during execution of the program.
The memory may have a significantly higher latency than the registers, limiting the speed at which the program may be executed as compared to the speed that may be achieved if all operands were in registers. Processors and/or the computer systems including the processors may provide caches to alleviate the memory latency. Generally, a cache is a relatively small, high speed memory which may store copies of data corresponding to various recently-accessed memory locations. Generally, cache storage is allocated and deallocated in units of cache lines (a group of bytes from contiguous memory locations). In other words, the cache may include multiple entries, and each entry may include storage for a cache line of bytes. If requested data for an access is not in the cache (a "miss"), an entry is allocated for the cache line including the requested data and the cache line is filled into the allocated entry. In some cases, a portion of the cache line (often called a "sector") may be valid while other portions are invalid. However, the entire cache entry is allocated for the cache line if one or more of the sectors are valid.
While caches may reduce the average latency for memory accesses, the latency for any particular access is generally not deterministic. If the requested data is stored in the cache (a "hit"), then the latency is low. If the requested data is a miss in the cache, on the other hand, then the latency is high. Accesses may miss the cache for a variety of reasons. For example, an access misses the cache if the cache line including the requested data has not been accessed before. A current access may miss even if the cache line has been previously accessed, if other cache lines which map to the same entry (or set of entries, depending on the cache structure) are accessed in the interval between the previous access and the current access. In multi-master coherent environments, coherency activity due to accesses by other masters may cause cache lines to be invalidated in the cache. These various causes of cache misses may be hard to predict, and thus managing the cache to provide deterministic, low latency access to certain operands may be difficult to achieve. Accordingly, a mechanism for providing deterministic, low latency access to operands is desired.

Programmably disabling one or more cache entries


A water treatment apparatus for treating ozone with water is disclosed. The water treatment reservoir has a bottom, a fill line, a head space for receiving off gas provided above the fill line and a passageway for conveying off gas from the head space to an off gas venting outlet and for removing water which is above the fill from the water treatment reservoir.

This invention relates to water treatment apparatus, which uses a gas, preferably ozone, as a water treatment agent. In a preferred embodiment, the invention relates to a water treatment carafe for a domestic counter top water treatment appliance.
Water treatment apparatus using oxidizing gases have been developed. Some of these devices operate on a batch basis. According to this process, the water is placed in a treatment container and the treatment agent (e.g. a gas), is disbursed through the water, such as via a sparger. Following the completion of the cycle, the water may then be used.
Ozone is an effective oxidizing agent. However, if the device releases excessive quantities of ozone, headaches and the like can occur. However, the treatment vessel is preferably airtight so that the ozone which is not consumed in the treatment cycle is collected and preferably converted to a benign gas (e.g. oxygen).
In accordance with the instant invention, there is provided a water treatment apparatus comprising a base; a water treatment reservoir removable from the base, the water treatment reservoir in fluid communication with an ozone source when mounted on the base, the reservoir having a bottom, a head space for receiving off gas and a passageway having a first end in the head space and a second end associated with an off gas venting outlet, the passageway being in communication with the head space at at least one position and the first and second ends being open to the ambient when the water treatment reservoir is removed from the base; and, a fluid passageway extending between the off gas venting outlet of the water treatment reservoir and an ozone destructor when the water treatment reservoir is mounted on the base.
In one embodiment, the water treatment reservoir has a fill line and the first end of the passageway is positioned above the fill line.
In another embodiment, the passageway is in communication with the head space at at least two positions.
In another embodiment, the water treatment reservoir has a fill line and the at least two positions are positioned above the fill line.
In another embodiment, the off gas venting outlet is positioned in the bottom of the water treatment reservoir.
In another embodiment, the water treatment reservoir has a water inlet and the apparatus further comprises a sealing member movably mounted between a first position in which the water inlet is sealed and a second position in which the water inlet is open and a driving member for moving the sealing member between the first and second positions.
In another embodiment, the driving member is actuated when the water treatment reservoir is placed on the base and removed from the base.
In accordance with the instant invention, there is also provided a water treatment reservoir having a bottom, a head space for receiving off gas and an open passageway extending between the head space and an off gas venting outlet provided at a lower position in the water treatment reservoir, the passageway being in communication with the head space at at least one position.
In accordance with the instant invention, there is also provided a water treatment reservoir having a bottom, a fill line, head space means for receiving off gas provided above the fill line and passageway means for conveying off gas from the head space means to an off gas venting outlet and for removing water which is above the fill from the water treatment reservoir.

Construction of a water treatment reservoir for a domestic water treatment appliance


The present invention provides a method for cleaning a photo mask without the need for removal of the pellicle mounted on the photo mask, without the large scale equipment for washing with a solution, with a small number of steps for cleaning and inspection, and without the increase of the production cost. The method for cleaning a photo mask with a pellicle mounted, in which the pellicle frame has a gas introducing hole and a gas discharging hole, comprises: a step of introducing a gaseous substituting substance from the gas introducing hole in a pellicle inner space surrounded by the photo mask and the pellicle, substituting foreign substances on the photo mask, and discharging the foreign substances from the gas discharging hole; and a step of irradiating an ultraviolet ray to the photo mask, while an air or a nitrogen gas or a rare gas is introduced from the gas introducing hole, for degrading the substituted substituting substance so as to be gaseous, and discharging the same from the gas discharging hole.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for cleaning a photo mask to be used for the semiconductor production, in particular, it relates to a method for cleaning a photo mask in a state with a pellicle mounted.
2. Description of the Related Art
According to the photolithography technique used for the production of a semiconductor device or the like, for preventing the transfer of the foreign substances such as the dusts adhered on a photo mask to a wafer, a pellicle is mounted on one side or both sides of the mask using a sticky material or an adhesive. The pellicle comprises a pellicle film made of a fluorine resin film or the like, and a pellicle frame having a predetermined thickness for separating the pellicle film from the mask by a certain distance. The pellicle film is adhered on the upper surface of the pellicle frame so as to form a container-like shape for forming a space with the pellicle and the photo mask (hereafter, it is described as "the pellicle inner space").
Recently, with the trend of the miniaturization and the high integration of the LSI patterns, according to the photolithography technique to be used for the pattern formation, wavelength of the light source of the exposing device has become shorter from the g line (436 nm) and the i line (365 nm) of a high pressure mercury lamp to the KrF excimer laser (248 nm) and the ArF excimer laser (193 nm). Since such an exposing light source of a short wavelength has high output, the light energy is high, and thereby it causes a phenomenon where foreign substances is grown on the photo mask used for the exposure as the time advances. It is pointed out that the growing of the foreign substances is notable when the exposing light has a shorter wavelength. The foreign substances generated on the photo mask are transferred onto a wafer so as to bring out breakage or short circuit of the semiconductor element circuit.
As to the generation of the growing foreign substances on the photo mask at the time of using a short wavelength exposing light source, as one of the major factors, it is said that a sulfuric acid ion as an acidic substance used for mask washing, remaining on the mask surface after production of the photo mask, and a basic substance such as ammonium present in the mask use environment are reacted by the excimer laser irradiation at the time of the pattern transfer so as to generate ammonium sulfide or the like for providing the foreign substances (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) Nos. 2006-11048, and 2004-53817).
Therefore, even though it is in a preferable quality state without a defect at the inspection after the production of the photo mask, there is a problem in that foreign substances are generated on the photo mask by the repeated excimer laser irradiation with an exposing device, and thereby a good pattern transfer image onto the wafer cannot be obtained.
As to the above-mentioned foreign substances problem, according to a conventional method for washing a photo mask with a pellicle, in the case the growing foreign substances are generated on the mask in the pellicle inner space, since it cannot be washed in a state with the pellicle mounted, the pellicle is separated from the photo mask. And then, for removing the sticky material or the adhesive used for adhering the pellicle on the photo mask, the photo mask is washed with a solution such as hydrogen peroxide sulfate (a solution mixture of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide water) referred to as a piranha solution, or an organic solvent, or a hydrogen peroxide ammonia (a solution mixture of an ammonia water and a hydrogen peroxide water) referred to as a SC-1 solution, and after the washing operation, a new pellicle is mounted again. Moreover, according to the above-mentioned washing method, the pellicle cannot be reused, it is known that a method for washing a photo mask using the pellicle frame capable of dividing it in two for facilitating detachment of the fragile pellicle film. In this method, the pellicle film is detached at the time of washing (see for example JP-A No. 2006-91667).


Fixing device comprising a fixing member provided with a bearing head, a sensor provided with a detector of the mechanical force to which the fixing member is subjected, the detector being mounted in contact with the fixing member, and a connecting component which is electrically connected to the sensor, which is configured to transmit a measurement of a mechanical force provided by the sensor and which is mounted on the fixing member, the fixing member comprising a body which is mounted on the bearing head and which extends along a longitudinal axis protruding from the bearing head.

The international application WO02/069666 discloses a device for measuring pressure, temperature, impulses and expansion on a flexible hose during the use thereof. The hose comprises an end piece connected to one end of the hose, a sensor being located in the end piece for each measured value, and comprises a measuring unit located in or on the wall of the flexible hose. The measuring unit is coupled to the sensor by wired connections. However, such a device is not a fixing member designed to fix two mechanical parts together.
The German utility model DE 202004002116 discloses a connection element for connecting conductor lines for liquids or gases, or electrical or optical media, comprising a sleeve, a connector designed to be assembled to the sleeve and an electrical conductor which is configured to close a circuit by cooperating with an electrical contact when the assembly of the connector with the sleeve is correct. Moreover, the electrical conductor is mounted on the connector and is coupled to an antenna and a passive transponder, and the electrical contact is mounted on the sleeve. The French patent application FR 2887955 discloses a device for connecting two tubular elements for transporting fluids comprising a female end piece, a male end piece designed to be inserted into the female end piece, a locking member, a proximity sensor to determine the position of the locking member, and a radio frequency tag connected to an antenna in order to transmit the determined position. The proximity sensor may be fixed to the female end piece or the locking member. However, these measuring apparatuses do not permit the measurement of a mechanical force to which the connecting devices are subjected.
The German patent application DE 19831270 discloses a mechanical device for the assembly of two metal plates by means of a fixing screw. The tightened and deformed state of the screw is monitored by means of a sensor comprising at least one film made of piezoelectric material which is fixed either to the head of the screw or distributed at an angle along the shank of the screw. The sensor is directly connected via a connecting circuit to an electronic processing device which is arranged on the outside. However, it may be necessary to provide connecting circuits which are sufficiently long when the electronic device is very remote from the screw.
Moreover, the American patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,297,430 discloses a force sensor in the form of a thin disc located between a nut and a cylinder of a marine diesel engine. The sensor comprises four cells for measuring Z-forces integrated inside a principal metal housing. The cells may comprise quartz discs of the piezoelectric type. The sensor also comprises four electrodes connected to a pre-amplifier which is housed in a connecting housing juxtaposed with the principal housing. Such a sensor is used as a washer placed between a nut and a part. However, these sensors are independent of the nut and the cylinder and thus are not suitable for every type of nut.
It is also possible to cite the American patent U.S. Pat. No. 6,272,936 which discloses a pressure sensor comprising a pressure detector connected to two electrodes, the detector comprising a printed variable resistance ink. However, such a sensor provides a single type of measurement. This sensor is not suitable for measuring the different types of mechanical stresses to which a fixing member is subjected, such as in particular vibrations.

Fixing device and method for manufacturing such a device


The present device relates to an eyeglass frame designed to be supported by cheek bones. The eyeglass frame designed to be supported by cheek bones according to the present invention includes: a front part including a pair of lens rims configured such that eyeglass lenses are fitted thereinto and they are connected to each other via a bridge; a temple part including temples configured such that the first sides thereof are connected to both sides of the front part, respectively, and the second sides thereof are worn on the ears of a wearer; front supports installed into the pair of lens rims, respectively, and configured to be seated on cheek bones of the wearer and support the front part; and side supports installed into the temples, respectively, and configured to be seated on the cheek bones of the wearer and support the front part.

Generally, eyeglasses are a simple optical device fabricated for the purpose of vision correction or vision protection. Such eyeglasses include eyeglass lenses and an eyeglass frame.
Eyeglasses for vision correction are divided into short-sighted glasses, long-distance glasses, magnifying glasses, and astigmatic glasses. Eyeglasses for vision protection are protective glasses for preventing visual deterioration when watching TV or a monitor.
The frames of the above-described eyeglasses are made of a metallic material, such as titanium, aluminum, or the like, or a synthetic resin material, and thus have predetermined weights. The weight of each of the eyeglass frames is distributed and supported by nose pads and temple tips.
However, the eyeglass frame in which load is distributed by the eyes and the nasal bone, as described above, is problematic in that the nasal bone is weak, and thus a wearer feels a load on his or her nose, resulting in a case where the nose is sick.
A prior art related to this is disclosed in Korean Utility Model Registration Application Publication No. 20-2012-0002814 (title of the device: Eyeglass Frame; publication date: Apr. 25, 2012).


This invention relates to an absorbent and a passivaton layer for an optical element including the same, which may suppress infiltration of moisture without blocking light, may be applied to flexible substrates and may prevent deterioration of optical elements thus maintaining emission properties during extended use.

Typically, light-emitting devices, which do not need an external light source and are self-luminous, are advantageous because of high light-emitting efficiency, superior luminance and viewing angles and fast response rates, but are disadvantageous because moisture or oxygen in the atmosphere infiltrates the light-emitting device and thus the electrode may be oxidized or the device itself may deteriorate, undesirably shortening the device lifetime. Hence, thorough research into the fabrication of light-emitting devices stable to moisture or oxygen is ongoing.
Also, when organic electroluminescence (EL) devices are driven for a predetermined period of time, emission properties including luminance, light-emitting efficiency and emission uniformity may more remarkably deteriorate compared to when they are initially used. The reason why the emission properties deteriorate may include for example electrode oxidation due to oxygen infiltrating the organic EL device, oxidation and decomposition of an organic material caused by heating during operation, and denaturalization of an organic material. Also, the reason why the emission properties deteriorate may further include mechanical degradation of the structure thereof. For instance, interfacial exfoliation of the structure may be caused by oxygen or moisture, and also, may result from stress induced at the interface of the structure because of respective constituents having different coefficients of thermal expansion depending on heat generated in the course of the device being driven and on heat conditions.
In order to prevent such problems, various attempts have been made to seal organic EL devices in order to inhibit contact with moisture or oxygen. For example, there is disclosed a method of preventing moisture from reaching an organic EL device by placing a sealing cap 2 having an absorbent 6 adhered to the inner wall thereof on a picture element area of an organic EL device comprising a substrate 1 and a transparent electrode 3, and an organic functional layer 4 and a metal cathode 5 which are formed on the substrate 1, filling the space therebetween with nitrogen gas 9, and then attaching the sealing cap 2 to the substrate 1 using an adhesive 7, as shown in FIG. 1.
As such, a variety of materials to use for the absorbent 6 have been studied. Particularly, thorough research into alkali earth metal oxides such as barium oxide (BaO) or calcium oxide (CaO) continues because they are able to specifically capture water molecules using a chemical reaction and do not discharge water molecules at high temperature, unlike water absorbents which physically adsorb water, such as silica gel or zeolite.
However, the absorbent 6 used is composed of inorganic compound particles and requires that a concave member be adapted to adhere to the device, undesirably making the resulting device thick.
Furthermore, because alkali earth metal oxides are opaque, they may be applied to so-called bottom emission type display devices for emitting light from the substrate 1. Whereas, in the case where alkali earth metal oxides are applied to so-called top emission type display devices for emitting light from the sealing cap 2 opposite the substrate 1, light emission may be blocked by the absorbent 6, and thus the absorbent 6 should be disposed so that it does not enter an image picture area and the mounting position should be provided.
When the absorbent is applied to top emission type display devices, for example, the use of a water absorbent comprising a polymer such as polyvinylalcohol or nylon which is transparent and is able to absorb water may be easy to conceive of. However, these polymers physically absorb water and do not have sufficient water absorption properties.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-357973 discloses the use of a particulate water absorbent disposed so as not to adversely affect light transparency in a top emission type structure, and also Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-56970 discloses the use of a plastic substrate in which there is dispersed a water absorbent that has particles the size of which is smaller than the light emission wavelength of organic EL devices. However, it is difficult to dispose the inorganic particles and also to uniformly disperse them as primary particles, unavoidably lowering light transparency due to the scattering of light.
Accordingly, the present invention is intended to provide an absorbent and a passivation layer for an optical element, which may prevent moisture from infiltrating an optical element.
Also, the present invention is intended to provide an absorbent and a passivation layer for an optical element, which may be applied to dual emission type display devices because of high light transmittance without blocking light.
Also, the present invention is intended to provide an absorbent and a passivation layer for an optical element, which may be applied to flexible displays.
Also, the present invention is intended to provide a passivation layer for an optical element, which may prevent an optical element from deteriorating so as to maintain emission properties during extended use.
A first preferred embodiment of the present invention provides an absorbent comprising a compound represented by Formula 1 below or a compound represented by Formula 2 below:
wherein R1, R2 and R3, which are the same as or different from each other, each are independently selected from among an alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group and an aryl group, M is selected from among trivalent metals, and X is an integer of 1˜1000.
In this embodiment, the absorbent may have a light transmittance of 50% or more at 550 nm.
A second preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a passivation layer for an optical element, comprising a compound represented by Formula 1 below or a compound represented by Formula 2 below:
wherein R1, R2 and R3, which are the same as or different from each other, each are independently selected from among an alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group and an aryl group, M is selected from among trivalent metals, and X is an integer of 1˜1000.
In this embodiment, the passivation layer for an optical element may further comprise a thermoplastic resin.
In this embodiment, the thermoplastic resin may have a moisture content of 100 ppm or less.
In this embodiment, the thermoplastic resin may have a softening point of 50˜200° C.
In this embodiment, the passivation layer for an optical element may have a light transmittance of 50% or more at 550 nm.
In this embodiment, the optical element may be selected from among an organic light-emitting device (OLED), a semiconductor, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), and a solar cell.
A third preferred embodiment of the present invention provides an optical element, comprising the absorbent according to the first embodiment.
A fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention provides an optical element, comprising the passivation layer according to the second embodiment.

Absorbent and passivation layer for optical element comprising the same