A cutting member adapted to be coupled to a rotatable flail of a cleaning apparatus for dislodging adherent bulk material in a storage container. The cutting member includes a hub having a cylindrical bore formed about a central longitudinal axis. A plurality of first fingers are attached to the hub and extend generally radially outwardly from the hub in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The plurality of first fingers are located in a generally circular manner about the hub. A plurality of second fingers are attached to the hub in a generally circular manner about the hub and extend generally radially outwardly from the hub in a direction generally perpendicular to the hub. Each second finger is located in a rotated position about the longitudinal axis of the hub with respect to a respective first finger. Each first finger and each second finger is respectively formed as a truncated rectangular pyramid having a plurality of side cutting surfaces, wherein each side cutting surface includes a pair of side cutting edges and a tip cutting edge.

The present invention is directed to a cutting member for use in connection with a rotatable flail of a cleaning apparatus for dislodging adherent bulk material in a storage container, and in particular to a cutting member having a plurality of outwardly projecting fingers with each finger formed as a truncated rectangular pyramid including a plurality of cutting surfaces and a plurality of cutting edges.
The storage of granular and similar bulk material, such as grain products and coal, in storage containers such as bins, hoppers, and silos creates many problems, particularly in the discharge of such bulk material as the bulk material has a tendency to become lodged in place and refuse to flow due to bridging and other problems. When bulk material within a storage container refuses to flow or resists flow, the obstructing adherent bulk material decreases the capacity of the storage container and restricts the flow of bulk material through the storage container. A cleaning apparatus, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,701, having a pair of rotatable flails has been used to break and cut loose adherent bulk material such that the adherent material will freely flow through the storage container. Each flail of the cleaning apparatus as previously used has been provided with a cutting member comprising a generally cylindrical disc made from ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. The disc-shaped prior art cutting member is limited to providing cutting of the adherent bulk material in one direction only.

Cutting member for a cleaning apparatus used to dislodge adherent bulk material in a storage container


A controller may be used to control client switches in a network that includes non-client, switches. The controller may form client domains from groups of client switches that are separated by intervening non-client domains formed from non-client switches. The controller may determine a network domain topology from the client domains and non-client domains. The controller may determine a spanning tree that interconnects the nodes of the network domain topology. The controller may control client switches of the client domains to allow only network traffic between the client domains and the non-client domains along the spanning tree. The controller may use the network domain topology to generate inter-domain forwarding maps. The inter-domain forwarding maps may be used to determine network forwarding paths between end hosts in the network.

This relates to communication networks, and more particularly, to communications networks having network switches that are controlled by a controller.
Packet-based networks such as the internet and local data networks that are connected to the internet include network switches. Network switches are used in forwarding packets from packet sources to packet destinations. The packets may be sometimes referred to as frames.
It can be difficult or impossible to control the switches of one vendor using the equipment of another vendor. This is because the switch equipment of one vendor may use a different operating system and set of control procedures than the switch equipment of another vendor. To address the challenges associated with controlling different types of switch platforms, cross-platform protocols have been developed. These protocols allow centralized control of otherwise incompatible switches.
Cross-platform controller clients can be included on the switches in a network. The controller clients are able to communicate with a corresponding controller server over network paths. Because the controller clients can be implemented on a variety of switch hardware, it is possible for a single controller to control switch equipment that might otherwise be incompatible.
A network may include switches having controller clients that are controlled by a controller (client switches) and non-client switches that are not controlled by the controller. Some of the non-client switches may be interposed between client switches. The controller may direct the client switches to forward network packets along network forwarding paths through the network. It may be difficult for the controller for the controller to determine appropriate network forwarding paths in networks that include non-client switches. For example, a group of intervening non-client switches may separate groups of client switches. In this scenario, the group of non-client switches may be connected to groups of client switches at multiple network locations, potentially resulting in forwarding loops between the client switches and non-client switches.

Systems and methods for forwarding network packets in a network using network domain topology information


Contours of objects appearing in a digital image are extracted in a plurality of one-directional passes across the digital image. Each pass loads rows or columns of the image into a local memory, in the order they appear in the image, and analyzes them for the presence of portions of the full contour. The portions are then combined to create the full contour.

Finding a contour of an object (i.e., the object's border or outline) in a digital image is often the first step in many image-analysis applications, such as object detection or object classification. Given a preprocessed version of the image, many current contour-extraction methods identify an edge pixel and search the area of the image nearby for another, connected edge pixel. The area searched may include the four pixels connected to a side of the current edge pixel (i.e., the "four-connected neighbors") or the eight pixels connected via both sides and corners (i.e., the "eight-connected neighbors"). By repeatedly searching for more connected edge pixels, a contour may be traced by traversing the edge, wherever in the image it leads, in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction. As more edge pixels are found, they may be added to a list of pixels belonging to the contour. This process is continued until the first identified edge pixel is encountered again (i.e., the entire contour is traced).
While this technique may find the contours present in an image, it may run quite slowly on some processors. Because the edge path may travel in any direction, and because this direction cannot be predicted, pixels from any portion of the image may need to be analyzed as the algorithm works. Many processors (especially low-power or digital-signal processors) are unable to store an entire image in local, fast memory and must therefore load necessary portions of the image from external, slow memory as they are needed. These memory accesses may significantly retard the operation of the algorithm. Other algorithms may process the digital image in a more deterministic fashion (e.g., by marching across the pixels in the image), but these methods are typically incapable of fully identifying the contours of complex shapes. A need therefore exists for a way to detect contours of arbitrary shapes in a digital image in a manner that runs efficiently on a processor having a small local memory.

Incremental contour-extraction scheme for binary image segments


Method and composition for gel formation in hydrocarbon recovery, in which an organic phosphate ester is gelled by a novel activator composition comprising iron sulfate, dibutylaminoethanol, and a phosphate surfactant.

In the recovery of hydrocarbons from underground formations, it is common to fracture the formations with fluids forced down a wellbore under considerable pressure. Various types of fracturing fluids may be used. This invention is concerned with the use of hydrocarbon fracturing fluids, such as kerosene, Diesel oil, and the like. It is common to viscosify or gel hydrocarbon fracturing fluids so they are better able to handle and distribute the propping agents commonly mixed with them. Propping agents such as sand or other relatively hard particulates are used to maintain the fissures in the formation after they are fractured, to assure the recoverable hydrocarbons in the formation are able to flow through the formation to be recovered.
It is desirable that the additives for the fracturing fluid should act rapidly and efficiently to make a useful--that is, a viscous--gel from a small amount of chemical.
Dialkyl orthophosphates, particularly in the form of their aluminum salts, have been used as components of hydrocarbon gelling agents for many years--see the generic description in Monroe's U.S. Pat. No. 3,575,859, for example, issued in 1971. Monroe uses the dialkyl phosphate esters in combination with alkyl and alkanol amines having up to 4 carbon atoms; he also uses certain polyamines. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,153,649, Griffin lists eighteen U.S. patents said to teach the preparation of phosphate esters useful in formation fracturing, incorporates them by reference, and goes on to discuss several others. More recently, McCabe, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,464, employs alkyl orthophosphate esters with aluminum and iron compounds to make a gel; he uses them in combination with a monohydric alcohol having from 2 to 4 carbon atoms and an alkyl or alkanol amine having from 8 to 18 carbon atoms. The gel is used as a temporary plugging agent. McCabe also, in European Patent Application 0 551 021 A1, suggests a similar composition as a fracturing agent.
Smith and Persinski (U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,287) suggest iron compounds in combination with orthophosphate esters to make a viscous hydrocarbon fracturing medium, and, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,614,010, include a low molecular weight amine and, optionally, a surfactant.

Rapid gel formation in hydrocarbon recovery


An outboard has a housing unit mounted on an associated watercraft. An engine is disposed on the housing unit. A cowling surrounds the engine. The cowling has an inlet port through which atmospheric air enters inside of the cowling. At least a substantial portion of the cowling is made of a nonferrous metal.

1. Field of the Art
The present invention generally relates to an outboard motor with a cowling, and more particularly relates to an outboard motor that has a cowling enclosing an engine therein.
2. Description of Related Art
An outboard motor typically comprises a housing unit that can be mounted on an associated watercraft. An internal combustion engine is disposed above the housing unit. Typically, a propeller is journaled on a lower part of the housing unit. The engine powers the propeller through a driveshaft and a propeller shaft both extending through the housing unit. In order to protect the engine from objects and water, a cowling surrounds the engine.
The cowling defines a generally closed cavity around the engine. The cowling has an air inlet port through which the atmospheric air enters the cavity. The engine draws the air into one or more combustion chambers to burn fuel which is also delivered into the combustion chambers. Relatively cool air is preferable for the engine because the cool air can make the charging efficiency better and, as a result, can improve the output of the engine.
Typically, the cowling is made of a plastic material. Because such a plastic cowling has in sufficient heat radiation and engines normally build heat while operating, the air in the cavity can become warm, deteriorating the charging efficiency of the engine.


A method for producing powdery seasoning with constant quality, with no occurrence of coagulation under storage. The method comprises culturing koji mold in heated and expanded defatted soybean, maintaining a dispersion of the resulting culture in a sodium chloride solution under enzymatically active conditions, separately collecting a liquid dispersion medium from the enzymatic reaction product, adding a liquid seasoning to the liquid dispersion medium, and spray drying the resulting mixture.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for producing powdery seasoning. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for producing powdery seasoning, for example, powdery soy sauce.
2. Related Background Art
From the demand of diversified dietary life, a wide variety of instant foods have been developed in combination with seasonings for use in the foods. Seasonings for use in instant foods are mostly produced and processed in powdery forms. Furthermore, powdery seasonings may be stored under inappropriate conditions such as high temperature, high humidity and excess exposure for a considerably long period from the production into the hands of consumers.
Powdery seasoning is currently on production and supply, taking account of these potentially adverse conditions. However, it is impossible to anticipate all of the conditions to which such seasonings may possibly be exposed. Furthermore, the preventive measure against any adverse condition with an extremely low probability of occurrence will eventually cause prominent escalation of the production cost, which is not practical.
Powdery seasoning is entirely or partially in powder or granule form. A substance in powder or in granule form has a larger surface area per unit weight. Because powdery seasoning also contains a hygroscopic component such as sodium chloride, individual powdery particles or granules are bound together to form a mass, which readily coagulates, disadvantageously.
The coagulation of powdery seasoning gives the impression of deteriorated quality, which seriously damages the merchandise value. Prior to or after the occurrence of coagulation, the taste or flavor of powdery seasoning may eventually be deteriorated.
As conventional methods for preventing coagulation of powdery seasoning, it is known a method comprising adding and mixing an edible substance which turns to hydrophobic in a dry state, namely oxidized starch, processed starch such as phosphorylated starch, dextrin, naturally occurring gum such as gum arabic, or protein such as gelatin. Some of such methods have been used in a practical sense, for example, a method comprising adding dextrin so as to prevent coagulation of "powdery soy sauce", as disclosed in Japanese Patent unexamined Publication No. JP-A-64-039977.
However, the following problems are noted, concerning the preventive measures against coagulation of powdery seasoning according to these known methods.
That is, in case an edible substance which turns to hydrophobic in a dry state is mixed with the powdery seasoning and the like, it is necessary for the substance to add at a relatively high concentration, for example, about 10 to 30% by the weight ratio as the anhydride thereof.
These substances should never deteriorate the essential taste and flavor of the seasoning. Therefore, these substances should be selected from those substances with no taste or with taste as dry as possible.
When a substance with no taste or with taste as dry as possible is added to powdery seasoning to a final concentration at which the substance can exert an effect of preventing coagulation, powdery seasoning is consequently diluted, and thus the taste and flavor of the powdery seasoning is decreased per unit dose. In other words, potentially, the effect of powdery seasoning may be lowered apparently.
Furthermore, apparent change of powdery seasoning may be observed with addition of these substances, giving unnatural impression.
When a substance with an effect of preventing coagulation is added, an additional treatment such as further addition of sodium chloride or salt may be needed so as to recover and correct the deterioration of the taste and flavor per unit dose.
Compared with powdery seasoning of itself, most of edible substances turning hydrophobic in a dry state are substantially costly. Therefore, producing powdery seasoning having an effect of preventing coagulation with the addition of these substances may inevitably involve the increase of the production cost. Also, the increase of the production cost limits the range of selectable substances to be added.
During the production process of powdery seasoning, during the drying process in particular, spray drying is carried out in most cases. However, even a hydrophobic substance in a dry state forms a viscous solution when mixed with a raw material liquid seasoning, which is disadvantageous for handling. Still further, characteristically, a hydrophobic substance in a dry state is so hardly miscible with a raw material liquid seasoning at an initial stage that laborious extra works such as specific agitation procedure or heating may be required for homogeneous mixing of the substance with the liquid seasoning so as to prevent any development of coagulation or mass. Hence, the entire process will be complex. Further, adhesion onto the inner wall of a spray dryer may occur, resulting in a lower yield of products, or smooth operation of the dryer will be blocked. Otherwise, because the raw materials may be partially overheated during drying, various disadvantages such as the decomposition or denaturation of tasty components or flavor components may develop.
It is also noted that some edible substances turning hydrophobic in a dry state may generate by-products having "browning" actions of the resulting products during the drying process or under storage.
As has been described above, problems not yet overcome have been remarked for the known methods for preventing coagulation of powdery seasoning comprising adding an edible substance turning hydrophobic in a dry state. Conventionally, vast amounts of energetic technical efforts have been devoted toward the problems to be overcome. However, no essential counter-measure has been found yet.


The present disclosure relates to cosmetic agents which, in addition to ethanol and fragrances, contain at least one fixing agent mixture for the fragrances and have a high and long-lasting deodorizing action. Furthermore, the present disclosure relates to the use of these agents for the treatment of body odor.

Eccrine and apocrine sweat glands are present in the human armpit. While the eccrine glands produce aqueous secretions in response to heat, the apocrine glands secrete viscous secretions in response to stress. This apocrine sweat is a complex mixture that contains steroids, cholesterol and other fats and about 10% protein. Unpleasant body odor under the armpit develops from the initially odorless secretion through bacterial decomposition of the ingredients of the apocrine sweat.
The decomposition products of apocrine sweat, which contribute significantly to the body odor, in particular to the axillary body odor, can be divided into two classes: on the one hand into short-chain C4-C10 fatty acids, which may be linear, branched, saturated and unsaturated (for example, isovaleric acid), on the other hand into various steroid hormones and their metabolites (for example, 5-α-androstenol and 5-α-androstenone).
Body odor can be combated by avoiding the bacterial degradation of sweat or by using perfume to cover the body odor. In order to avoid the bacterial degradation of sweat, antimicrobials which reduce the number of sweat-decomposing bacteria on the skin by killing are used in the prior art. However, the effect of such antibacterial substances on the prevention of body odor and the use of perfume to cover the resulting body odor does not always result in a satisfactory deodorant performance.
The fragrance impression in the fight against body odor through the use of perfume is usually uncomfortably intense at the beginning. A high dosage of perfume oils is necessary, however, so that the perfume fragrance can be perceived on the skin as long as possible and covers the body odor. Nevertheless, the fixation of perfume fragrance (fragrance adhesion) often falls short of expectations. In addition, especially higher amounts of perfume oils may have a certain allergy potential. There is therefore still a need for cosmetic agents which have both a high and a long-lasting deodorizing effect against body odor.

Deodorants with prolonged scent adhesion


The present invention relates to a porous electrode wire for use in electrical discharge machining and the method of manufacturing the same. The wire improves the machining speed at least 15% compared with a conventional zinc coated wire, which results from an increased cooling ability of the wire with a cooling liquid because of the increase in the surface area of the wire having porous surface morphology. Since the surface of the porous wire presents uniform profile of outer periphery rather than surface protrusions, it does not affect machining accuracy. Further, the porous nature of the wire is expected to improve flushability during the electrical discharge machining, providing spaces to eliminate particles of the machining. Therefore, in accordance with the method of the present invention, a zinc coated wire having improved performance of machining speed and flushability compared with a conventional coated wire can be provided without additional processes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrode wire for use in electrical discharge machining and the method of manufacturing the same, particularly to a porous electrode wire having an improved machining speed and the method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Background Art
FIG. 1 represents a schematic drawing of a wire electrical discharge machine. An electrode wire is inserted through a start hole (7) of a workpiece (1), which is continuously fed through the hole. A high frequency voltage is applied between the wire (2) and the inside of the hole (7) to initiate an arc discharge between them. Then, machining the workpiece (1) to a desired shape can be achieved by melting the workpiece during the arc discharge and by removing the machining particles using a machining liquid and an instantaneous vaporization powder between the wire and the workpiece. In accordance with the machining principle, the wire electrical discharge machine includes a power supply (6), a wire transfer means, a workpiece moving means and a circulating means of the machine liquid.
In general, the workpiece moving means, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1, moves during the machining of a workpiece on a plane perpendicular to the wire feeding direction. The wire (2) from a supply spool (3) travels to a take-up roll (4) through a wire transfer means including the upper and the lower guide rollers (5 and 5xe2x80x2) of the workpiece.
Then, a high frequency voltage is applied between the workpiece (1) and the electrode wire (2) to start the machining of the workpiece. At the same time, a machining liquid of deionized water is supplied to the machining area to remove the heat of the machining. The machining efficiency, in particular the machining speed, significantly depends on machining parameters such as the feeding speed of the machining liquid, machining current, and the shape and frequency of the machining voltage, and it is known to improve the machining efficiency through a control of the machining parameters.
Since copper has a high electrical conductivity and is easy to form fine wire due to its high elongation property, a copper wire was used initially. However, it revealed many deficiencies mainly due to its low mechanical strength. For example, high tensile strength could not be applied to the copper wire during the machining so that vibration of the wire can not be controlled, resulting in an inferior machining accuracy and tendency of wire breakage. Moreover, machining speed was relatively slow. Therefore, a molybdenum wire or a tungsten wire as a high strength wire has been used for a special application of a high precision machining. A brass wire having 63-67 wt % copper and 33-37 wt % zinc has been developed for the general purpose of wire electrical discharge machining.
The brass wire has a tensile strength about twice to a copper wire and the machining speed can be improved due to the presence of zinc content in the alloy, which provides a stable discharge and a vaporization power during the machining.
Moreover, as the application field of the wire electrical discharge grows up, it was required for the brass wire to further increase the tensile strength and to improve the machining speed. Therefore, elements such as Al and/or Si can be added to a brass wire to improve the tensile strength and machining speed.
On the other hand, it was known that the machining speed of a brass wire increases when zinc content includes more than 40 wt % in the brass. However, in that case, drawing process to form a wire becomes difficult because of the presence of a brittle phase in the alloy.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,287,404 discloses a zinc coated wire on copper or brass core and the method of manufacturing the same. On a core material having relatively high tensile strength or high electrical conductivity such as copper, brass or steel, a coating material having a relatively low vaporization temperature such as zinc, cadmium, tin, antimony, bismuth or the alloy was electroplated to form a coated wire. According to the wire and the method, the core allows to maintain required mechanical strength or conductivity, and the coating increases cooling ability and flushability because of its relatively low vaporization temperature, thereby improving machining speed and accuracy. Further, the coating material vaporizes easily by the heat during the machining, it protects core material because of the cooling effect of the coating material. Thus, the method of manufacturing the coated wire may include the coating step of zinc electroplating after the final sizing the wire or prior to the final sizing of the wire.
A method of improving the performance of a coated wire was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,977,303. Accordingly to the patent, the method includes steps of: on a metallic core, a coating step of zinc, cadmium or the allow which forms mixed alloy layer with the core after heat treatment by diffusion annealing; a heat treatment step of the coated wire at 700xc2x0 C. in an oxidizing atmosphere to form a mixed alloy layer between the core material and the coating material, for example copper-zinc alloy and drawing the coated wire accompanying a mechanical hardening. The coated wire by the method includes a core, a mixed alloy layer and an outer oxide layer. At this time, the oxide layer prevents possibility of short circuits between the wire and the workpiece during the electrical discharge machining, which is not directly related to the machining speed. The improvement in the machining speed of the wire is known to lie on the heat treatment step forming copper-zinc alloy layer, but the mechanism was not clearly revealed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,686,153 discloses a coated wire having a copper clad steel core and a coating layer of zinc alloy formed on the core, and the method of manufacturing the same. The high strength of steel in the core can provide a superior machining accuracy and the clad copper can provide a good conductivity to the coated wire. On this copper clad steel, zinc coating is applied by electroplating or hot dip galvanizing followed by heat treatment to form a copper-zinc alloy layer. Particularly, when the zinc content in the alloy layer is in the range of 40-50 wt %, the improvement of the coated wire in machining speed becomes evident compared with a simple zinc coated copper clad steel. The coated wire according the patent includes a copper clad steel core and a copper-zinc alloy layer. At the same time, the zinc content in the alloy layer ranges 10-50 wt %, preferably 40-50 wt %. The method of manufacturing the same includes steps of; a providing step of a copper clad steel core, a zinc electroplating step on the core, a drawing step of the zinc coated core to form a wire having a desirable diameter and a heat treatment step of the wire to convert the zinc coating layer into a copper zinc alloy layer having zinc content of 10-50 wt %, preferably 40-50 wt % in such a manner that the concentration of the zinc is gradually decreased along the radially inward direction. Alternatively, the drawing step may be applied prior to the heat treatment step and the zinc coating may use hot dip galvanizing.
As mentioned previously, the improvement of the machining speed of the coated wire was achieved by coating the core with a material such as zinc which have a melting temperature and vaporization temperature lower than core material, and a further improvement was achieved by heat treating the zinc layer on the core to form a copper-zinc alloy layer through diffusion reaction between the core and the coating. However, the improvement significantly depends on the selection of the coating metal having lower vaporization temperature than the core metal. Thus, the improvement was limited to the nature of the coating metal.
A purpose of the present invention is to provide a coated wire for electrical discharge machining with improved machining speed by increasing the surface area of the wire which will be in contact with cooling liquid so as to increase the cooling ability of the wire.
Another purpose of the invention is to provide a coated wire for electrical discharge machining with improved machining speed by allowing the contact of the cooling liquid not only with the surface of the wire but also with inner part of the wire.
Still another purpose of the invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a porous coated wire with increased surface area without additional steps. Still another purpose of the invention is to provide a coated wire for electrical discharge machining with improved flushability without decreasing the machining accuracy during the machining.
Therefore, the above mentioned purposes are achieved by the method including the steps of; providing a wire having a first diameter made of a first metal, hot dip galvanizing the wire by passing the wire in a desirable time through a molten of a second metal having vaporization temperature lower than the first metal, thereby forming an alloy layer by the diffusion reaction between the first metal and the second metal having hardness higher and an elongation lower than the first metal and the second metal and a coating layer made of the second metal, and drawing the wire having the alloy layer and the coating layer to form a second diameter, thereby forming cracks in the alloy layer and the coating layer due to the high hardness and the low elongation of the alloy layer.
At this time, the first metal may use copper or brass having 63-67 wt % copper and 33-37 wt % zinc. Further, the second metal may use zinc, aluminum or tin.
Particularly in the present invention, the wire made of the first metal needs to pass the molten bath in a desirable time so as to achieve a desirable thickness of the coating layer and alloy layer including the second metal. The desirable time depends on the length. For example, the take-up speed of the wire should be fast when the length of the bath is relatively long, and the take-up speed of the wire should be slow when the length of the bath is short. Thus, the take-up speed and the length of the bath are selected to form the thickness of the coating layer having 3-10 xcexcm on the wire having the first diameter.
The method of manufacturing a coated wire according the present invention may further include heat treatment step to stabilize the mechanical property of the wire.
Further, the method may include removing step of the coating layer on the alloy layer.
The coated wire for electrical discharge machining, according to the present invention, includes a core made of a first metal including copper, an alloy layer formed on the core and a coating layer made of a second metal, wherein the alloy layer having a higher hardness than the core or the coating layer is formed during the hot dipping galvanizing step by diffusing reaction between the first metal and the second metal having vaporization temperature lower than the first metal, and wherein the alloy layer includes cracks having direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the wire.
The alloy layer having a high hardness and a low elongation is formed by diffusion reaction of the first metal and the second metal during the hot dip galvanizing step passing the wire, having the first diameter, made of the first metal into a molten bath of the second metal having lower vaporization temperature. Then, the wire coated with the second metal is drawn to form the wire having the second diameter. At this time, the first metal covered by the alloy layer and the coating layer becomes a core of the wire. Further, the porous nature of the wire arises from the cracks in the alloy layer and the coating layer during the drawing step.
Further, the coated wire for electrical discharge machining, according to the present invention, includes a core made of a first metal including copper and an alloy layer formed on the core, wherein the alloy layer having a higher hardness than the core or the second metal is formed during the hot dipping galvanizing step by diffusion reaction between the first metal and the second metal having vaporization temperature lower than the first metal, and wherein the alloy layer includes cracks having direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the wire.

Porous electrode wire for use in electrical discharge machining and method of manufacturing the same

Shinjing-dong, Yangchun-ku, Seoul 158-070


A heat transfer medium supply system includes valve units each alternately supplying a first and a second heat transfer medium to a corresponding zone of a stage. The valve unit includes a housing and a shaft. The housing has first and second inlets, and first and second outlets. The first and second inlets are respectively connected to a first and a second medium temperature controller. The first and second outlets are connected to the corresponding zone. The shaft is inserted in the housing and has first and second supply grooves. The first supply groove connects the first inlet to the first outlet when a rotation angle about a central axis of the shaft is within a first angle range, and the second supply groove connects the second inlet to the second outlet when the rotation angle about the central axis of the shaft is within a second angle range.

A substrate processing apparatus is used in manufacturing electronic devices such as semiconductor devices and the like. The substrate processing apparatus generally includes a chamber main body and a stage. The stage is provided in the chamber main body and configured to hold a substrate mounted thereon.
In the case of processing a substrate by using the substrate processing apparatus, a processing gas is supplied into the chamber main body and the substrate mounted on the stage is processed by the processing gas. When the substrate is processed, a temperature of the substrate needs to be controlled. In order to control the temperature of the substrate, the substrate processing apparatus may be configured to supply a heat transfer medium to the stage.
Such a substrate processing apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 2016-12593 and 2016-81158.
In the substrate processing apparatuses disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 2016-12593 and 2016-81158, a first heat transfer medium and a second heat transfer medium having a temperature different from that of the first heat transfer medium are alternately supplied to a plurality of zones of the stage. In this substrate processing apparatus, the temperature of the substrate is controlled by controlling a period of time in which the first heat transfer medium is supplied to the stage and a period of time in which the second heat transfer medium is supplied to the stage.
Each of the substrate processing apparatuses disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 2016-12593 and 2016-81158 includes two three-way valves and two opening/closing valves, i.e., four valve units, for a single zone. Therefore, the number of the valve units in the substrate processing apparatus can be obtained by multiplying the number (four) of the valve units for a single zone by the number of zones.
Since multiple valve units are required to alternately supply the first heat transfer medium and the second heat transfer medium to the stage as described above, it is required to reduce the size of the apparatus by decreasing the number of the valve units. Further, the high-speed operations of the opening/closing valves and the three-way valves are required to alternately supply the first heat transfer medium and the second heat transfer medium to the stage. Therefore, it is required to improve the operating speed and the durability of the valve units.

Heat transfer medium supply system and substrate processing apparatus


An expansion hose adapted for smoothing pressure fluctuations in a hydraulic system having an inner tube, a textile reinforcement, and an outer cover. The reinforcement includes a plurality of yarns, which in turn have a plurality of filaments of first fiber material type and a plurality of filaments of second fiber material type, with first fiber type having elongation at break higher than the second fiber type by at least about 4% elongation. The expansion hose may be part of an assembly including at least one fitting, coupling, bracket, hose clamp, or other hose.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a high-pressure, controlled-expansion hose suitable for power steering applications, more particularly to an expansion hose with a textile reinforcement layer comprising both nylon and polyester filaments, and specifically to an expansion hose with a first braided reinforcement layer of nylon and a second braided reinforcement layer of polyester.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Expansion hoses are used in high pressure fluid transfer systems or fluid power systems, such as hydraulic systems, power steering systems, or the like. In such dynamic applications, where a hose is subject to pressure pulsation, an expansion hose with a controlled or predetermined amount of volumetric expansion may be useful for smoothing pressure fluctuations, damping vibrations, reducing noise, or otherwise improving the response of the system to pressure pulses. Volume expansion refers to the variation of inner volume of hose when supplied with a high pressure fluid. Controlled expansion refers to a hose designed to exhibit a predetermined amount of volumetric expansion at a given internal pressure. Such a hose is commonly referred to as "expansion hose." One classification scheme which may be used for expansion hose is based on the volumetric expansion per unit length of hose, specified in cc/m. For example, a standard issued by SAE International, SAE J2050, describes expansion hose for power steering pressure hose applications as having volumetric expansion in the range from 10 to 46 cc/m at 9.0 MPa internal pressure for a hose having an internal diameter ("ID") of 9.85 mm. Another specification, issued by a vehicle manufacturer calls for high expansion power steering hose to exhibit from 27 to 40 cc/m volumetric expansion at 9.0 MPa for an ID of about 10 mm. Thus, expansion hose may somewhat arbitrarily be further classified as low expansion hose or high expansion hose. Low expansion hose may have a relative volumetric expansion of about 13% to about 35% at a predetermined maximum working pressure. High expansion hose may have a volumetric expansion of more than about 35% at a predetermined maximum working pressure.
The expansion hose is generally designed to have a burst pressure of about four times the maximum working pressure. High burst pressure may generally be obtained by using reinforcing layers of high strength wires, fibers, or yarns. But high burst pressure and high volumetric expansion may be opposing goals.
Fatigue resistance is also required when expansion hoses are subjected to dynamic conditions, such as repeated high pressure pulses. For example, SAE J2050 calls for minimum performance of 200,000 pressure cycles that peak at 100% of the design working pressure of 10.5 MPa. Unfortunately, as demands on expansion hose move generally toward higher pressures, temperatures and fatigue resistance, the three goals of having a certain minimum burst pressure, a predetermined volumetric expansion at a certain working pressure, and a high impulse fatigue resistance are found to be in opposition. Simply increasing the working pressure will increase the volumetric expansion and decrease the fatigue life. Increasing the amount of reinforcement can increase the burst pressure, but at the same time will decrease the volumetric expansion. Reinforcement parameters, such as braid angle or spiral angle, can be used to control volumetric expansion somewhat, but deviations from the usual optimum settings also cause negative effects on other aspects of hose performance such as length stability.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,729 discloses an example of an expansion hose having an inner flexible hollow body which extends coaxially to an outer pressure hose. Such dual hose designs are complex.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,063,181 discloses a power steering hose having a multi-layer inner core, covered with two tubular reinforcement layers in the form of a braid or spiral or woven material such as nylon. The expansion of the hose is reported to be controlled through the elongation of the yarn and the angle at which it is applied, but no examples thereof are offered.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,210 discloses a reinforced hose having at least two reinforcing thread layers, including a lower layer of a polyester thread having 10% elongation at break, and an upper layer of polyester or polyvinyl alcohol thread. The resulting hose is reported to have excellent fatigue resistance but very small volume expansion. U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,210 teaches that there has been no reinforcing thread which satisfies both characteristics, i.e. fatigue resistance and volume expansion, simultaneously. Even when the materials of the two layers are varied, no construction has yet satisfactorily reconciled these two contradictory characteristics.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,807,988 discloses a thermoplastic reinforced hose construction having at least a first and a second reinforcing layer of a first and a second fiber, with the two layers bonded together by a bonding agent that is controlled to wet only a portion of the filaments. Radial expansion and axial elongation are said to be affected by the pitch angle of spiraled layers, which are oppositely wound in pairs to counterbalance torsional twisting effects.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,316,046 discloses a power steering hose having one or more reinforcement layers of organic fibers. The hose exhibits a volumetric expansion of 20 to 26 cc/m at 9 MPa (6-8 cc/ft at 91 kgf/cm2), which corresponds to about 35% volumetric expansion.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,077,108 discloses composite laminates for hose including fibrous reinforcements in the form of braids of a material selected from nylons, polyesters, rayons, cottons, vinylons, aramids, and the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,677,018 discloses a high pressure hose having a plurality of reinforced layers including a steel wire reinforced layer and an organic fiber reinforced layer based on aromatic polyamide.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,143,789 discloses a high pressure hose having an odd number of layers of reinforcing plies which are preferably identical or at least their moduli of elasticity are similar.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,383,258 discloses a high pressure hose having at least one layer of braided yarn comprising polyester filaments.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,605,818 discloses a high pressure hose having at least one braided layer of a binder-impregnated ribbon of untwisted multi-filament yarns comprising synthetic or natural filaments. A preferred material is a biconstituent filament of melt-blended nylon and polyester.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP 02-147328 discloses a cord for reinforcing resin hose comprising a core-sheath composite fiber of polyester core and nylon sheath. However, it is known in the art that blends of two fibers of different properties generally do not follow a linear relationship with blend proportion, and the resultant property is generally less than proportional. (See e.g. Wellington Sears Handbook of Industrial Textiles, §292 (1963).)
U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,212 discloses a flexible reinforced hose having a pair of oppositely helically wound layers of reinforcement comprising a first fiber (aromatic polyamide) having a tenacity of about 12 to about 25 grams for denier and an elongation at break of about 2% to about 8% that are disposed in alternating contiguous relationship to a second fiber (preferably polyester) having a tenacity of from about 7 to 11 grams per denier and an elongation at break of about 9% to about 17%. An example hose having a first braided layer of Kevlar and a second braided layer of polyester exhibited inferior flex fatigue resistance. The volumetric expansion of the disclosed hoses was too low to be considered expansion hose.


A compact medical nuclear imaging device, which generates a medical image from gamma radiation, can be held stationary or moved to search a large area for locating a radioactive area of interest. The compact medical imaging device comprises a collimator having an array of collimating channels, a radiation collection module converting the gamma radiation to an electric signal, an electronic module for processing the electrical signal, and a display module for displaying a two-dimensional image of the radiation scene, all of which preferably are assembled together in a single, compact module of a size small enough to permit it to be held and maneuvered by a human operator.

The invention relates generally to medical imaging devices and more particularly to such devices which use energy conversion devices to obtain an electrical signal in response to gamma radiation.
Medical imaging is accomplished by inducing a patient with a radiopharmaceutical substance by means of injection, swallowing, breathing, or other appropriate method. The radioactive isotope of the radiopharmaceutical migrates to the target area to be examined and results in gamma radiation from it. The radiation can be sensed and used to generate an image of some features of the target area to provide information for approprate treatment. The image is presently generated by one of various types of computer assisted tomography (CAT) systems or the like.
Sensing of radiopharmaceuticals in animals and humans is accomplished today in essentially two ways. First, large gamma cameras containing collimators and two dimensional position-sensitive radiation detectors with fields of view of 12xe2x80x3 in diameter or more and detector heads weighing hundreds of pounds are used to make two-dimensional organ images, sometimes in a stationary mode and sometimes in a scanning mode. They are also used to make three dimensional organ images by taking several views of the same organ from different angles and using image reconstruction techniques to compute the concentration of radiopharmaceutical in three dimensions in a procedure called single photon emission tomography, or xe2x80x9cSPECTxe2x80x9d. The objective is to image the uptake of radiopharmaceuticals in the organs or systems of interest.
In the second method a single radiation detector without imaging capability is used to locate radioactive regions by manually scanning the single detector and its collimator over the region of interest to locate xe2x80x9chot spotsxe2x80x9d, for example indicating the presence of radiopharmaceutical tailored to be taken up by cancerous tissue. This technique is an aid in location of tissues of specific interest for which the radiopharmaceutcial is tailored, for example cancerous tissues, and specifically in some cases to aid surgeons in locating cancerous tissue and in determining if all the malignant tissue has been removed. Movement of the sensing radiation detector is essential to the technique. A 2-D (two-dimensional) or 3-D (three dimensional) image from a gamma camera might have advantages in surgery compared to the slow, cumbersome, risky method of scanning the single channel detector by moving it and it""s inherently small field of view manually to locate radioactive tissue, but the massive size of the gamma camera""s detector head precludes practical use in the crowded surgical theater. It""s size similarly precludes practical sterilization. Accordingly, there is a need for a smaller, more portable apparatus for obtaining a medical image from the gamma radiation.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a novel compact medical nuclear imaging device for generating a medical image from gamma radiation. It can be made small enough to be available for use in the course of surgery for making available in real time important information about the target surgery region.


Methods of inducing or controlling particle motion in suspensions and colloids are described. In one aspect, a method of inducing particle motion in a suspension comprises contacting the suspension with a gas phase to establish at least one interface between the gas phase and continuous phase of the suspension. One or more gases of the gas phase are transferred across the interface to provide a solute gradient in the continuous phase, the solute gradient inducing motion of the suspended particles.

Particle motion or transport in suspensions and colloids is important in many applications including drug delivery, disinfection and filtration. Several mechanisms exist to induce directed motion of colloidal particles, such as employment of one or more external forces. External forces can include electrostatic, dielectric, magnetic, acoustic, optical and/or inertial effects. Effective application of external forces can necessitate apparatus of complex architecture and design. Moreover, filtration of colloidal compositions often requires substantial amounts of energy and expensive apparatus comprising one or more membranes having pore size suitable for capture of ultrafine particles. Additionally, such filtration apparatus require routine maintenance to preclude membrane clogging or fouling.

Gradient induced particle motion in suspensions


A hybrid work vehicle having a direct-current electric power bus for connecting at least an electric power controller, an electric machine for driving the vehicle, a reversible electric machine, and a battery.

A hybrid vehicle has electric power components, such as motors, alternators, electric actuators and batteries, powered by high-voltage, high-amp alternating or direct current; and a low-voltage/low-amp electric circuit for controlling the electric power components and any other controls or servocontrols.
The high voltage and amperage of the electric power components may interfere with the low-voltage electric circuit signals, thus impairing reliability of the vehicle and, in particular, altering the control signal from the user or the central control unit and so resulting in uncommanded, unpredictable operation of the vehicle
Hybrid vehicles at least partly solve the low-efficiency, high-noise problems typical of internal combustion engine work vehicles, including telescopic-arm lift vehicles.
In conventional non-hybrid vehicles, the internal combustion engine must be kept running continuously. To drive the vehicle, which is normally a four-wheel drive, power is transferred from the internal combustion engine to a hydraulic motor; and, to run the hydraulic lift system, power is transferred from the internal combustion engine to a hydraulic pump via a mechanical drive. The internal combustion engine is thus run continuously, to move the vehicle forward and in reverse, as well as to operate the lift system, which is normally controlled by hydraulic actuators operated by the hydraulic pump, in turn operated by the internal combustion engine via a drive.
The above features and drawbacks apply to most work and farm vehicles.
In the case of telescopic-arm vehicles, the telescopic arm is normally controlled by an actuator powered by a hydraulic pump. For layout reasons, as described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,202, the internal combustion engine is housed in a side compartment between the two vehicle axles, and which houses a number of components, a compressor, a filter, and a hydraulic valve assembly. The vehicle is normally driven by a hydraulic (hydrostatic) motor controlled by the internal combustion engine operated at various speeds by the user. A change in the speed of the internal combustion engine changes the travelling speed of the vehicle and/or generates power/torque to operate the telescopic arm.
In recent years, numerous patent applications have been filed with the object of reducing vehicle consumption and acoustic and pollutant emissions.
Numerous listings relate to hybrid vehicles comprising electric machines.
From a layout standpoint, documented hybrid vehicles can be classified as: series, parallel, and power-split parallel.
Hereinafter, the term 'input' refers to the primary, normally internal combustion (diesel), engine; 'output' to the vehicle drive axles; M/G1 to a first electric motor/generator; and M/G2 to a second electric motor/generator.
In the series solution, the input internal combustion engine is connected mechanically to electric motor/generator M/G1 to produce and supply the batteries with electric power, which is used, when needed, by electric motor/generator M/G2 to drive the output. In which case, the vehicle is driven fully electrically.
In the parallel solution, the input internal combustion engine is connected mechanically by an epicyclic reducer to electric motor/generator M/G1 and to electric motor/generator M/G2 to drive the output. And various mechanical drive layout and control solutions permit combined electric-diesel drive of the vehicle.
The series-parallel (input-split or output-split) hybrid configuration has two main power paths: a mechanical path, along which the power generated by the internal combustion engine is transmitted directly to the wheels; and an electrical path, along which the power generated by the internal combustion engine is first converted to electric power by the generator, and then converted back to mechanical power and transmitted to the wheels or also to any other systems, such as the hydraulic pump, e.g. to operate the telescopic arm.
One example of a hybrid drive with different parallel solutions is described in Patent US2002091028.
US2005061564 describes a parallel, input-split/output-split layout, which has the drawback of being fairly complicated mechanically and in terms of overall vehicle control. Especially in the case of hybrid work vehicles involving high power levels, the hydraulic system, which normally demands more or less the same amount of power as for driving the vehicle, would further complicate the drive, the configuration of which is thus less than optimum.
Because of functional and layout restrictions and the technical choices involved, the known art therefore tends to privilege partial solutions aimed at resolving a specific problem, as opposed to optimizing the vehicle as a whole.
Patent Application EP-A-1914101 describes a hybrid vehicle which, by means of a power splitter, allows part of the power from the diesel engine to be used partly to power the hydraulic system, and partly to charge the batteries by means of a generator; and the power stored in the batteries is given back when needed. There being no clutches, however, the diesel engine has to be kept running continuously.
US20090199553 describes a hybrid excavator, in which the mechanical power generated by the diesel engine is converted by a reversible generator to electric power, which is then used by the same reversible generator to power a hydraulic pump to operate the arm and hydraulic systems. Again, however, there being no clutches, the diesel engine has to be kept running continuously.
JP-A-2005133319 describes a hybrid vehicle operating layout, in which the internal combustion engine and electric motor are located at the rear with the batteries. This is a particularly bulky configuration, which, by raising the centre of gravity, is unsuitable for telescopic-arm vehicles, which, for reasons of stability, have to maintain a low centre of gravity to avoid rolling over. Moreover, no mention is made of the problems involved in assembling individual components to minimize the impact on the layout of a telescopic-arm vehicle.
The hybrid operating solution described allows the internal combustion engine to be run connected to a generator, which powers a battery pack and, from this, an electric motor to drive the vehicle.
More specifically, the internal combustion engine and electric motor are user-controlled directly by first pedal, which controls both the internal combustion engine and the electric motor, and a second pedal, which only controls the electric motor. Which means the user can also act on the speed of the internal combustion engine on the basis of the load demanded of the electric motor, at the expense of the energy efficiency of the vehicle as a whole.
Moreover, unlike other types of vehicles, such as telescopic-arm vehicles, the vehicle described is one of a category of excavators which require more, or at least the same amount of, power to operate the shovel than to drive the vehicle.
This greatly affects the size of hybrid excavator battery packs. In fact, an excavator of the type described in JP-A-2005133319 would need batteries of several hundred kWh to operate one hour with the electric vehicle drive motor and the shovel powered fully electrically, i.e. with the internal combustion engine off. So the batteries would be of such bulk and weight as to be unmountable on the excavator as shown.
The excavator described therefore cannot be run fully electrically to simultaneously drive the vehicle and operate the shovel. On the contrary, the internal combustion engine must be run continuously to simultaneously operate the hydraulic system and drive the vehicle; and the hydraulic system can only be powered electrically when the vehicle is stationary.
The system proposed in JP-A-2005133319 therefore basically amounts to saving power by turning the internal combustion engine off when the vehicle is stationary, and using the power of the batteries and the reversibility of the electric machine to run the hydraulic systems with no emissions and for short periods of time when the vehicle is stationary. No mention is made of the need to balance and control power demand in different vehicle operating conditions, in terms of battery pack sizing and power distribution between vehicle drive and hydraulic system operation.
As stated, the known art thus tends to privilege partial solutions aimed at resolving specific problems, as opposed to achieving an overall solution covering the vehicle as a whole. Another important point to note is the stress future regulations are expected to place on energy-saving and noise-reducing performance.


A test operation and reporting system is operable to evaluate testing of a system under test (SUT). The test operation and reporting system includes a testing metrics selection engine to identify core metrics and one or more optional metrics to evaluate a testing service level of one or more tests performed on the SUT. A metrics compilation module determines measurements for the core metrics and optional metrics. A trend evaluation module determines whether a trend determined from the metrics meets an associated target, and identifies a metric indicator to explain the trend if the associated target is not met. A dashboard engine generates a plurality of views based on selections. The views are operable to include the trend, an associated target, the core metrics and optional metrics, the metric indicator and other metrics.

Most information technology (IT) organizations have invested in one or multiple test management tools for managing testing efforts and associated resources for related IT solution implementations. Test management is the overarching activity associated with the testing of a Solution Under Test (SUT). The SUT may include software, middleware, hardware and other types of IT system components. The tests may include functional and non-functional testing, such as performance testing or defect resolution management prior to releasing a newly developed SUT or enhanced versions of a SUT in to a production environment. They may also include tests that are done in production environment, such as regression testing system upgrade validations.
The purpose of a test management tool is to assist a Quality Assurance Manager (QAM) with evaluating the quality of the SUT before releasing it into a production environment. However, given the diversity of IT solutions and underlying systems and the variety of correlated business objectives for implementing such solutions including related IT management constraints, it is often difficult to provide the QAM with the required and current management information that is most pertinent to the specific SUT. Accordingly, IT organizations may have to rely on data that, at given points in time, does not provide accurate and complete answers to properly determine the associated quality level that is being asked from the QAM. As a result, corresponding management decisions at both the project and test operation level might be more subjective than objective which may lead to insufficient or even wrong management actions.


Under the present invention, index keys are generated for a set of documents. This is typically accomplished by examining the set of documents, and connecting data values extracted from the set of documents to yield the index keys. Once the index keys are generated, an index view will be generated into which the index keys are populated. Using the index keys in the index view, an agent will automatically obtain the set of documents (i.e., in the background). Then, when a user requests one of the documents, the document will already have been retrieved from storage. As such, it can readily be provided to the user. It should be understood that as used herein, the term “document” is intended to refer to any type of electronically stored data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to data lookup. Specifically, the present invention relates to a method, system and program product for providing high performance data lookup (e.g., document retrieval).
2. Related Art
As the use of information technology (IT) continues to increase, a growing number of organizations are turning to IT-based solutions for their data storage needs. For example, today an organization can store a countless number of "documents" electronically while consuming very little physical space. Such an IT-based approach can not only save overhead costs, but also allows for improved redundancy. Moreover, when storing documents electronically, computerized access can be provided for authorized individuals from virtually any location.
Unfortunately, electronic document storage has various drawbacks. For example, in order to provide efficient access to electronic documents, they must be indexed in some manner. Moreover, requests for documents must be handled correctly. Due to the manner in which the documents can be stored, there is often a latency involved with their retrieval.
In view of the foregoing, there exists a need for a method, system and program product for providing high performance data lookup. Specifically, a need exists for a methodology and a "view" in which stored documents can be indexed for rapid retrieval.

Method, system and program product for providing high performance data lookup

International Business Machines Corporation


Method and apparatus for manufacturing concrete mass, the concrete mass being manufactured in a mixer, and the torque caused by the mixing of the concrete mass to the mixing elements used for mixing of the concrete mass and/or the power consumption of the drive of the mixer, being measured in said method. The torque caused to the mixing elements of the concrete mass and/or the power consumption of the drive is measured at least with two different mixing speeds, and based on the measurement results, the properties of the concrete mass are determined.

Essential magnitudes describing the quality and properties of concrete mixture are the yield strength, toughness and air content of the mass, the yield strength being often described by means of slump. By using these magnitudes, the rheology of the concrete mass can be determined, which is of use for manufacturing concrete mass of suitable type for different casting processes and products.
The slump and air content of the concrete mass is measured traditionally by means of sampling from a concrete mass batch. For the measurement of the slump, generally a vessel (slump cone) is used, with open bottom and open top, conically narrowing upwards, to be located on a floor or on some other suitable surface. The slump cone is filled with fresh concrete mass in several batches, and between the adding of the batches, the concrete mass in the slump cone is compacted manually. After being filled up to its upper surface and compacted, the conical vessel around the concrete mass is removed from around the concrete mass, whereby the concrete mass is free to spread on its base. After that the difference between the height of the upper lever of the spread concrete mass heap and the initial situation, in other words, the height of the upper surface of the filled slump cone will be measured. This difference stands for the slump of the concrete mass.
Concrete rheometer is used for measuring the toughness of the concrete in research on the field of concrete.
The air content of the concrete mass is measured with a separate measuring device of the air content, said device being filled with a certain amount of fresh concrete mass and, after that, sealed and measured. The construction of the device, as well as the measuring method, is defined in the international standards of the field of concrete.
The methods used for measuring the slump and air content of concrete mass as described above, are slow, time consuming and difficult. In addition, the concrete rheometer necessary for the toughness measurement is expensive.
Attempts have been made to describe the properties of the concrete mass also by means of the power taken by the mixer. This power or moment of the normal mixing speed alone, however, does not describe the workability of the concrete with an adequate accuracy, because the mass flow in the casting process of the concrete takes place with low speed.
One way to determine and regulate the properties and workability of the concrete mass is to define the moisture content of the concrete mass. Thereby the properties of the concrete mass can be conditioned by adding either liquid or dry substances to the mix. This kind of a solution utilizing the measurement of moisture content, however, is not adequate or satisfactory, especially for the concrete masses, in which agents are used. In these masses, the combined effects of the agent and the concrete can lead to changes in the workability properties of the concrete, even if the moisture content of the mass is unchanged.
The patent publication U.S. Pat. No. 6,227,039 discloses a system and a method for controlling the concrete manufacturing, wherein the rheological properties of the concrete mass are measured and controlled. In the solution in accordance with said publication, a concrete mass is manufactured, and after that its workability and/or other magnitudes describing the necessary properties of the concrete mass are defined with a separate measuring device, and the manufacturing of the concrete mass will be controlled based on these test results.


High-strength sinterable lithium disilicate glass ceramics are described which can be further processed in particular by pressing in the viscous state to shaped dental products.

Lithium disilicate glass ceramics are known. EP-B-536 479 describes self-glazed lithium disilicate glass ceramic articles which are not, however, intended for dental applications. The glass ceramics are free of La.sub.2 O.sub.3 and are formed in the usual manner by melting suitable starting materials, pouring the melt into molds to produce articles, and subsequently heat treating the articles.
Lithium silicate glass ceramics are also disclosed in EP-B-536 572. They are given structure and color by the dispersion of a finely divided colored glass onto their surface, and they are used as lining units for building purposes. They are manufactured in a conventional manner in that suitable starting materials are melted, the melt is molded to a desired body, and the body is heat-treated together with dispersed colored glass. La.sub.2 O.sub.3 is not, however, contained in the glass ceramic.
Glass ceramics based on SiO.sub.2 and Li.sub.2 O which contain large quantities of poisonous arsenic oxide are known from DE-C-1 421 886.
Moreover, the use of lithium disilicate glass ceramics in dental technology is also known, but these glass ceramics do not contain La.sub.2 O.sub.3 or MgO. Further, only conventional methods are used to process these glass ceramics to dental products, where a heat treatment is carried out to precipitate crystals only on homogeneous bodies, namely monoliths formed from a glass melt, such as small glass block or slabs. Conventional methods of this kind, however, only allow volume crystallization to take place, not surface crystallization.
Examples of such glass ceramics and conventional methods for the production thereof are described in following documents.
A lithium disilicate glass ceramic with high strength suitable for the preparation of dental crowns and bridges is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,515,634.
A high-strength lithium disilicate glass ceramic is also described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,189,325 wherein said glass ceramic necessarily contains CaO to improve the flow and also platinum and niobium oxide to produce very fine and uniform crystals.
Glass ceramics containing lithium oxide and silicon oxide for the preparation of dental prostheses, which contain very large quantities of MgO, are described in FR-A-2 655 264.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,981 and WO-A-95/32678 describe lithium disilicate glass ceramics which may be further processed to formed dental products by special methods, wherein pressing in the viscous, flowable state at elevated temperatures to the desired dental product takes place. No further details are given regarding the production of the slabs or buttons used during this process. A conventional method is also used to produce the glass ceramic, in that homogeneous glass bodies, such as slabs, for example, are heat-treated. A disadvantage of these methods is that they are very labor intensive for a dental technician, due to the use of a special heat-pressure deformable crucible. Moreover, the glass ceramic materials are heated to such an extent that crystals are no longer present in the molten material since the viscosity would otherwise be to high for pressing to the desired dental product. Consequently, the product processed is glass, not a glass ceramic.
The above-noted lithium disilicate glass ceramics have shortcomings, particularly when they are to be processed further in the plastic state to form a shaped dental product. Their viscosity is not ideally adjusted for such processing, so a controlled flow is not possible and the reaction with the investment material is undesirably high. Moreover, conventional glass ceramics have only poor dimensional stability on heating, so that dental restorations produced from them may be provided with a sintered-on glass or glass ceramic layer only with deformation. Finally, conventional lithium disilicate glass ceramics also frequently lack the necessary chemical stability for use as dental material, which is permanently being flushed with fluids of various kinds in the oral cavity.

Sinterable lithium disilicate glass ceramic


An aerosol dispensing system for dispensing stored material in a spray comprises a container, a conduit, a valve system, a first adjustment system, and a second adjustment system. The container defines a chamber containing the stored material and pressurized material. The conduit defines a conduit passageway having a conduit inlet and a conduit outlet. The conduit inlet is arranged within the chamber, and the conduit outlet is arranged outside of the chamber. The valve system is arranged to allow and prevent flow of stored material along the conduit passageway. The first adjustment system is arranged to control flow of stored material along the conduit passageway. The first adjustment system is arranged between the conduit inlet and the conduit outlet. The second adjustment system is arranged to control flow of stored material along the conduit passageway. The second adjustment system is arranged between the first adjustment system and the conduit outlet.

The present invention generally relates to systems and methods for applying texture material to an interior surface such as a wall or ceiling. In particular, buildings are typically constructed with a wood or metal framework. To form interior wall and ceiling surfaces, drywall material is attached to the framework. Typically, at least one primer layer and at least one paint layer is applied to the surface of the drywall material to form a finished wall surface.
For aesthetic and other reasons, a bumpy or irregular texture layer is often formed on the drywall material after the drywall material has been primed and before it has been painted. The appearance of the texture layer can take a number of patterns. As its name suggests, an "orange peel" texture pattern generally has the appearance of the surface of an orange and is formed by a spray of relatively small droplets of texture material applied in a dense, overlapping pattern. A "splatter" texture pattern is formed by larger, more spaced out droplets of texture material. A "knockdown" texture patter is formed by spraying texture material in larger droplets (like a "splatter" texture pattern) and then lightly working the surfaces of the applied droplets with a knife or scraper so that the highest points of the applied droplets are flattened. In some situations, a visible aggregate material such as polystyrene chips is added to the texture material to form what is commonly referred to as an "acoustic" or "popcorn" texture pattern. The principles of the present invention are of primary significance when applied to a texture material without visible aggregate material.
For larger applications, such as a whole room or structure, the texture layer is typically initially formed using a commercial texture sprayer. Commercial texture sprayers typically comprise a spray gun, a hopper or other source of texture material, and a source of pressurized air. The texture material is mixed with a stream of pressurized air within the texture gun, and the stream of pressurized air carries the texture material in droplets onto the target surface to be textured. Commercial texture sprayers contain numerous points of adjustment (e.g., amount of texture material, pressure of pressurized air, size of outlet opening, etc.) and thus allow precise control of the texture pattern and facilitate the quick application of texture material to large surface areas. However, commercial texture sprayers are expensive and can be difficult to set up, operate, and clean up, especially for small jobs where overspray may be a problem.
For smaller jobs and repairs, especially those performed by non-professionals, a number of "do-it-yourself" (DIY) products for applying texture material are currently available in the market. Perhaps the most common type of DIY texturing products includes aerosol systems that contain texture material and a propellant. Aerosol systems typically include a container, a valve, and an actuator. The container contains the texture material and propellant under pressure. The valve is mounted to the container selectively to allow the pressurized propellant to force the texture material out of the container. The actuator defines an outlet opening, and, when the actuator is depressed to place the valve in an open configuration, the pressurized propellant forces the texture material out of the outlet opening in a spray. The spray typically approximates only one texture pattern, so it was difficult to match a variety of perhaps unknown preexisting texture patterns with original aerosol texturing products.
A relatively crude work around for using an aerosol texturing system to apply more than one texture pattern is to reduce the pressure of the propellant material within the container prior to operating the valve. In particular, when maintained under pressure within the container, typical propellant materials exist in both a gas phase and in a liquid phase. The propellant material in the liquid phase is mixed with the texture material, and the texture material in the gas state pressurizes the mixture of texture material and liquid propellant material. When the container is held upright, the liquid contents of the container are at the bottom of the container chamber, while the gas contents of the container collect at the top of the container chamber. A dip tube extends from the valve to the bottom of the container chamber to allow the propellant in the gas phase to force the texture material up from the bottom of the container chamber and out of the outlet opening when the valve is opened. To increase the size of the droplets sprayed out of the aerosol system, the container can be inverted, the valve opened, and the gas phase propellant material allowed to flow out of the aerosol system, reducing pressure within the container chamber. The container is then returned upright and the valve operated again before the pressure of the propellant recovers such that the liquid contents are forced out in a coarser texture pattern. This technique of adjusting the applied texture pattern result in only a limited number of texture patterns that are not highly repeatable and can drain the can of propellant before the texture material is fully dispensed.
A more refined method of varying the applied texture pattern created by aerosol texturing patterns involved adjusting the size of the outlet opening formed by the actuator structure. Initially, it was discovered that the applied texture pattern could be varied by attaching one of a plurality of straws or tubes to the actuator member, where each tube defined an internal bore of a different diameter. The straws or tubes were sized and dimensioned to obtain fine, medium, and coarse texture patterns appropriate for matching a relatively wide range of pre-existing texture patterns. Additional structures such as caps and plates defining a plurality of openings each having a different cross-sectional area could be rotatably attached relative to the actuator member to change the size of the outlet opening. More recently, a class of products has been developed using a resilient member that is deformed to alter the size of the outlet opening and thus the applied texture pattern.
Existing aerosol texturing products are acceptable for many situations, especially by DIY users who do not expect perfect or professional results. Professional users and more demanding DIY users, however, will sometimes forego aerosol texturing products in favor of commercial texture sprayers because of the control provided by commercial texture sprayers.
The need thus exists for improved aerosol texturing systems and methods that can more closely approximate the results obtained by commercial texture sprayers.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Systems and methods for dispensing texture material using dual flow adjustment


A dedicated portable computer sales presentation system for efficiently making a multimedia sales presentation at the location of a customer. The dedicated portable computer sales presentation system includes installing the required sales presentation files upon a hard drive of the portable computer system, enabling access to the Internet from the portable computer system and removing a media player from the portable computer system to allow the portable computer system to only be utilized for making a multimedia sales presentation to the customer. When the sales agent meets with a customer, the agent calls the company and answers a series of introduction questions relating to the customer and the call is terminated with the company recording the end time of the call as the start time of the sales presentation. The multimedia sales presentation (which may include a virtual tour run from the hard drive) is made upon the portable computer system and if a sale is made the necessary contract is printed for the customer to sign. The sales agent then shuts down the portable computer system and then calls the company to answer closing questions where after the call is terminated with the company recording the start time of the call as the end time of the sales presentation. The portable computer also preferably includes a tracking program to track any usage of the portable computer and also a start/end time of the sales presentation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer devices and more specifically it relates to a dedicated portable computer sales presentation system for efficiently making a multimedia sales presentation at the location of a customer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Companies that make sales presentations for goods/services, such as vacation ownership property (e.g. timeshare), often times are forced to invite the potential customer to the site of the goods/services offered. To attract and encourage potential customers to travel a relatively significant distance, the company must offer incentives such as free gifts, money, free airfare, discounts and other incentives that are attractive to potential customers. Companies are aware that each industry has a "sales percentage" which is simply the number of sales made divided by the total number of sales presentations made. For example, some industries have a 10% sales percentage which requires the sales agent on average to make 10 sales presentations for each sale made. It is therefore extremely important for the sales agent to make as many sales presentations as possible during a given period of time to maximize the total number of sales for the company. In addition, based upon the sales percentage the company is limited by a financial threshold for offering incentives to potential customers. For example, if one sale nets a company $10,000 and the sales percentage is 10%, the maximum incentive per customer the company would be able to offer is $1,000 without having a negative net profit. Since a company needs to make a profit, the actual value of the incentive must be lower than the threshold.
The main problem with conventional sales presentation systems is that they are expensive to employ because of the incentives required to lure potential customers to the site of the company. Another problem with conventional sales presentation systems is that they are time consuming and not an efficient method of making a large number of sales presentations in a finite period of time. Another problem with conventional sales presentation systems is that they require the customer to travel a significant distance which is not desirable for the customer even with incentives. A further problem with conventional sales presentation systems is that the "incentives" typically have to increase over time as customers become overwhelmed with sales offers by numerous other companies.
While these sales presentation systems may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they are not as suitable for efficiently making a multimedia sales presentation at the location of a customer. Conventional sales presentation systems require the potential customer to visit the site of the company and also typically require costly incentives provided by the company.
In these respects, the dedicated portable computer sales presentation system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides a system primarily developed for the purpose of efficiently making a multimedia sales presentation at the location of a customer.

Dedicated portable computer sales presentation system


A gas turbine arrangement and a method of operating are provided. The turbine includes an annulus, axially delimited between a rotor unit, and at least one stationary component. Cooling medium outlet openings, lead into the annulus, from the stationary component. The cooling medium flows into cooling medium inlet openings, in the rotor unit in a flow direction, which propagates through the annulus. At least one inner cavity, radially to the annulus, is delimited by the rotor unit and by the stationary component. The inner cavity is pressurized with a purging gas, and is fluidically connected to the annulus. The stationary component and the rotor unit include a constriction by which the inner cavity is separated from the radially outer annulus and via which the inner cavity is fluidically connected to the radially outer annulus. Flow guides, fastened on the stationary component on one side, project into the constriction.

A generic-type gas turbine arrangement is shown in DE 1221497 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,348,157, in which to cool the rotor blades, which are attached on the rotor unit, cooling air is used, which is fed via cooling passages which extend inside stationary components of the gas turbine arrangement and, via correspondingly arranged cooling passage openings, impinges upon the rotor unit. On the rotor side, provision is also made for corresponding cooling air inlet openings into which at least some of the supplied cooling air flows. The transfer of the cooling air from the stationary components to the rotating rotor unit is carried out inside an annulus which on one side, axially to the rotor axis, is delimited by the rotor unit and by the stationary component. Adjoining radially on the inside is a further, inner annulus into which purging gas is introduced in order to protect components of the rotor unit close to the rotor shaft against friction-induced overheating. For operation-related reasons, the purging gas which directly envelops the rotor shaft is very intensely swirled and forms a heavily pronounced swirled flow inside the cavity. The pressure ratios in the respective regions of the gas turbine decrease as radial shaft spacing increases, i.e. the purging gas which is on the rotor shaft side is under a higher pressure compared with the pressure ratios inside the annulus, which in turn lie above the operating pressure ratios inside the hot gas passage.
A radially oriented leakage flow occurs and is directed from the inner side, i.e. from the cavity close to the rotor shaft, through the radially inner annular sealing arrangement into the cavity and from this through the radially outer annular sealing arrangement into the main gas passage. It becomes apparent in this case that the leakage flow which radially penetrates into the annulus is able to significantly disturb the cooling air flow which is provided there for the purpose of cooling the rotor unit and the flow direction of which is predominantly axially oriented, as a result of which the portion of cooling air flow which finds its way into the cooling medium inlet openings is reduced and the cooling effect and also the efficiency of the entire gas turbine arrangement which is associated therewith deteriorate considerably.
The cooling air only enters the turbine blade at the required pressure if it impinges with the designated flow direction. The more uniform the inflow is for entry into the blade root, the more favorable and more efficient is the arrangement.
In the previously cited printed publication, to this end it is proposed to provide a deflection device on the rotor side between the radially opposite annular sealing arrangements, which forces the leakage flow into radially extending passages so that a flow path for the leakage flow between the radially inner and outer annular sealing arrangements past the respective cooling passage openings is created.
Apart from the previously described feature of annular sealing arrangements not being fully gastight, as a result of which a leakage flow develops, it is necessary to ensure a controlled exchange of the purging gas which is introduced between the rotating and stationary installation components. For maintaining a determined exchange of purging gas, it is necessary to discharge this at least proportionately via corresponding connecting passages or leakage-conditioned annular sealing arrangements radially outwards, mostly into the operating passage of the respective rotating turbomachine. In the case of a turbine stage, therefore, the purging gas finds its way through corresponding intermediate gaps into the hot gas passage in which the purging gas intermixes with the hot gases.
In addition to the already explained flow disturbance which the leakage-conditioned purging gas flow exerts upon the cooling air flow which passes largely axially through the annulus, the high swirl portion of the purging gas flow, moreover, contributes towards the static pressure inside the annulus being reduced, as a result of which the cooling effect of the cooling air flow in the region of the rotor unit and of the rotor blades which are associated therewith is again weakened.

Gas turbine arrangement and method for operating a gas turbine arrangement


The present invention provides an apparatus and method of tuning the frequency characteristics of a continuous-time filter. First and second test signals are provided to a filter means and the respective first and second responses of the filter means are measured. The first and second responses are compared and based on the comparison a tuning control signal is provided to the filter means to tune the frequency response characteristics of the filter means. During a tuning phase of operation, a first switch connects a test signal generator and disconnects a data signal generator from the transmission input of a continuous-time filter. A signal processor receives a signal from the transmission output from the continuous-time filter and produces a tuning control signal based on that signal. The test signal generator is comprised of means for providing a first test signal, which may be an alternating signal source ("A.C."), and means for providing a second test signal, which may be a direct signal source ("D.C."). The signal processor compares the signal from the transmission output of the filter during a direct signal phase with the signal from the transmission output of the filter during an alternating signal phase and produces the tuning control signal based on the comparison.

Frequency response characteristics of continuous-time filters depend on absolute values of capacitors and resistors or transconductances in the filters. The absolute values of these components in the monolithic integrated form tend to be highly variable. Because of this variability, tuning is often necessary to control the frequency response characteristics of continuous-time filters.
Various techniques are currently known for tuning the frequency response of continuous-time or analog filters. One of these methods is disclosed in "Fully Integrated Analog Filters Using Bipolar-JFET Technology" IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, pp. 814-821, Vol., SC-13, No. 6, December 1978. It employs a real-time master-slave approach and involves the use of a phase-locked loop as shown in FIG. 7 of that reference on p. 817. However, that method is not effective for applications such as radio frequency receivers and portable wireless devices because it requires a significant amount of hardware and power dissipation. In addition, that method provides limited dynamic range for the filter because of the parasitic feed through of the reference signal during normal data transmission.
Another known solution to the problem of variability of filter component values is manual trimming. Manual trimming is unattractive because it requires additional manufacturing cost and it typically does not compensate for component aging.

Frequency tuning apparatus and method for continuous-time filters


Direct dyes having a quaternary center with a long aliphatic chain, compositions containing those dyes, and the process of using them to dye hair are disclosed. These dyes have a higher affinity for hair and are more shampoo stable than conventional direct dyes, and produce pleasing uniform dyeing.

This invention relates to direct dyes having a quaternary center with a long aliphatic chain, compositions comprising those dyes, and a process for using those compositions to dye hair.
Direct or semipermanent dyes are very widely used in the field of hair coloring. However, conventional direct dyes have a low affinity for hair and are not very shampoo stable.
Direct dyes having a quaternized amino group are also known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,560,136 (Kalopissis et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,018,556 (Kalopissis et al.) describe compounds of the formula: ##STR1## in which R', R'' and R''' are C.sub.1-4 alkyl; and R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are each, independently, hydrogen, lower alkyl, C.sub.1-6 lower hydroxyalkyl, or like substituents.
GB 1,164,824 (Kalopissis et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,978,061 (Kalopissis et al.) describe the above compounds wherein the NR.sup.1 R.sup.2 group is in the meta-position to the nitro group.
These direct dyes having a quaternary center have a somewhat higher affinity for hair than conventional direct dyes. However, direct dyes having a quaternary center have different affinities for newly grown virgin hair near the root of the hair shaft and for slightly to severely damaged hair along the lower parts of the hair shaft. This hair affinity difference results in aesthetically undesirable uneven dyeing.
Surprisingly, applicants have found that direct dyes having a quaternary center with a long aliphatic chain have a higher affinity for hair and are more shampoo stable than conventional direct dyes, and produce pleasing uniform dyeing that cannot be achieved with direct dyes having just a quaternary center.

Nitrophenylenediamine dyes having a quaternary center with a long aliphatic chain