A fastener or other structural component for wireless sensing of applied tensile load. The fastener includes an elongate body with a bore that extends within the body. A grounding pin is positioned within the bore and attached to the body within the bore. The fastener includes a wireless transponder, such as a radio frequency identification (RFID) transponder or tag, that is mounted on a head provided at the end of the body and exposed to the bore, such as by positioning the RFID tag in a recessed surface of the head or extending the bore through the head. The transponder generates a response signal with a unique identifier in response to a radio frequency signal from a transmitter. The grounding pin contacts and grounds the transponder to block transmittal of the response signal when a tensile load applied to the fastener is less than a minimum tensile load value.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to determining and monitoring whether fasteners such as bolts are properly tightened, e.g., are under a proper pre-load or torque, and, more particularly, to fasteners or other structural members/components that are adapted for remote monitoring of torque or other physical characteristics indicative of a particular tensile or compressive load and to systems and methods for performing such remote monitoring of the fasteners. The present invention facilitates monitoring of numerous fasteners that have been installed in an apparatus, assembly, system, or product in an efficient and timely manner.
2. Relevant Background
To ensure safety and proper ongoing operations, the methods of joining parts into a structural assembly or system are extremely important. Typical methods of joining or fastening parts include the use of such items as bolts, nuts, cap screws, set screws, rivets, and other structural members, and in a typical structural assembly or product, each of these fasteners has its material, size, and other physical characteristics carefully selected to ensure the structural integrity of the assembly or product. For example, a jumbo jet may require as many as 2 million fasteners, and each of these must be properly selected, sized, and installed. Fasteners are an important design feature for a wide range of applications such as trains, subways, airplanes, ships, bridges, automobiles, power and processing plants, and numerous consumer products.
Many fasteners are utilized in applications where vibration, varying loads, and other operating parameters can cause the fasteners to loosen. For example, fasteners such as nuts and bolts may be used in many assemblies to create frictional forces and provide structure that allow the fasteners to carry a particular load (i.e., design loads). Such loading or pre-loading of the fasteners can typically vary with a range of loads but needs to be retained above a defined minimum to ensure that the integrity of the structural assembly is maintained based on its engineering design. The basis for such designs is that the load or clamp load of the fastener is maintained throughout its lifecycle or during its use. In the nut and bolt example, the fastener is used to join two parts of an assembly by threading the nut and bolt together and applying a particular torque (or torque value or tensile pre-load within a preset range) on the nut which applies a tensile force to the bolt causing it to elongate or become longer. Since the torque may vary over time, many uses of fasteners require that the torque or tightness of a fastener be periodically checked or verified to ensure safe use or to reduce the risk of the part or assembly failing (e.g., becoming unfastened).
As a particular illustration, a large number of bolts are used as fasteners in roller coasters and other rides of an amusement park. These bolts may be used to attach bogeys or wheels to the cars and for other structural components. Many of these bolts must be tightened to or above a certain torque value or pre-load based on the design of the ride or ride equipment or the design of the fastener to be effective for its purpose. Once this torque value is obtained, operating or safety procedures may require that the fasteners be at least periodically checked to verify the bolts remain properly tightened. For a relatively basic ride, this may involve inspecting hundreds or even thousands of fasteners.
The most common method of checking fasteners involves the manual inspection of each and every fastener. Visual inspection methods may involve pre-loading or initially torquing a fastener to a desired point and then, painting a thin alignment stripe down the bolt's or the nut's edge and adjacent equipment. When the fastener loosens or moves out of the desired torque range, the alignment is lost. Other inspection methods may include use of torque wrenches, use of feeler gauges (and/or torque indicating washers), and inspection of torque rings. These manual inspection techniques are time consuming, tedious, and sometimes difficult to perform properly (e.g., access may require the use of mirrors on extensions or the like). Manual inspection is also more prone to error. Additionally, engineers often design a ride or other product assembly so as to allow manual or visual inspection, which sometimes results in less desirable designs or at least designs that differ from those where inspection is not required. Efforts to automate torque monitoring typically involve using strain gauges that are linked to computers. These automated systems are typically expensive and relatively complex and require power be provided at or near the fastener, and as a result, these systems have not been widely adopted and are not suited for many assemblies or products. e.g., moving vehicles such as roller coaster cars, trains, or the like, with large nunbers of fasteners.
There remains a need for systems for monitoring fasteners to verify their tightness or an applied torque or load and for fasteners adapted for use in such systems. Preferably, such systems and fasteners would be configured to allow remote monitoring of the fasteners in an effective and timely manner, e.g., to monitor torque or load applied to bolts or other fasteners without visual inspection.

Load sensing system including RFID tagged fasteners


A flat panel image display device includes a rear plate including plural electron emission elements, a face plate disposed opposed to the rear plate, fluorescent members being disposed on a surface of the face plate opposed to the rear plate, and the fluorescent members being covered with a metal back film, and a voltage applying unit to apply an acceleration voltage of 8 kV to 15 kV between the rear plate and the face plate. In addition, the metal back film has a getter material, and a current luminance characteristic of the fluorescent member satisfies γ≧0.9 if L=klγ , wherein L is luminance, l is an irradiation current, and k is a constant.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flat panel image display device which uses an electron source.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a so-called flat panel display attracts attention as an image display device instead of a large and heavy cathode-ray tube. In particular, a liquid crystal display is actively researched and developed. However, it remains as a problem that a view angle is narrow and there is persistence of vision.
On the other hand, a self-emitting flat panel display which displays an image through fluorescence by irradiating an electron beam emitted from an electron source to a fluorescent member is actively researched and developed. As compared with the liquid crystal display, the self-emitting flat panel display can acquire a light image and a wide view angle, and does not remain persistence of vision. For this reason, the self-emitting flat panel display is expected to take the place of the liquid crystal display, in terms of requests of a large-sized screen and a high-definition image.
In regard to the self-emitting flat panel display, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H03-261024 discloses a flat panel image display device in which electron emission elements for emitting electron beams are disposed within a vacuum panel located between a face plate and a rear plate. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H03-261024, the flat panel image display device, which uses a surface-conduction electron emission element as the electron emission element, accelerates the emitted electron beam, irradiates the accelerated electron beam to a fluorescent member, causes fluorescence of the fluorescent member, and thus displays an image.
FIG. 8 is a schematic cross section diagram illustrating a face plate of such an image display device. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the face plate includes a glass substrate 1007, a fluorescent member 1008, a metal back 1009, and a black conductive member (black matrix) 1010. The internal pressure of the flat panel image display device which accelerates and irradiates the electron beam to the fluorescent member 1008 so as to display an image is maintained to a vacuum of 10−6 torr or less. Here, to maintain vacuum is important with the objective of a time-dependent change of luminance, occurrence of luminance variation, and the like. In this connection, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 09-082245 discloses a flat panel image display device in which a metal back has a getter material.
The reason why the metal back 1009 like this has a getter material is as follows. That is, in the image display device which uses the electron source, since it is impossible to avoid generating gas from an image display member such as the fluorescent member 1008 or the like which is impacted by high-energy electron, it is feared that the generated gas affects a characteristic because the generated gas adsorbs to an electron emission unit of the electron source. Therefore, to sufficiently adsorb such gas, the metal back 1009 provided within an image display range is constituted to have the getter material.
On the occasion when the high-energy electrons bombard and penetrate into the fluorescent member 1008, some of the electrons are scattered backward by the metal back 1009 and the fluorescent member 1008. Then, the backward scattered electrons are accelerated through an electric field, and the accelerated electrons again bombard and penetrate into the metal back 1009 and the fluorescent member 1008 located nearby. Consequently, a phenomenon called halation that fluorescence of the fluorescent member 1008 of a pixel not driven occurs. Further, if the metal back 1009 has the getter material, it is contemplated that a percentage of the electrons scattered backward increases. This is because the material to be used as the getter material includes the element heavier than aluminum to be ordinarily used as the metal back, and thus a backscattering coefficient increases.
As a countermeasure for the halation, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-250839 discloses an image display device in which a third electrode is provided between a rear plate and a face plate. However, it is feared that this kind of third electrode complicates the constitution of the flat panel display and thus increases manufacturing costs.
In the flat panel image display device, as described above, some of the electron beams irradiated to the metal back 1009 are scattered backward. If the metal back 1009 has the getter material, since a mean atomic number of the elements included in the metal back is larger than that of aluminum used as the metal back 1009, the electrons scattered backward increase. Then, the electrons scattered backward are accelerated through the electric field, and the accelerated electrons again bombard and penetrate into the fluorescent member 1008. Here, if an amount of the electrons bombarded and penetrated again is large, the halation occurs, thereby preventing a contrast on the flat panel display.


The present invention provides a novel secretory or membrane protein expressed specifically in skeletal muscles, a nucleic acid encoding the same, an antibody against the same, useful as a prophylactic/therapeutic agent or diagnostic agent for a disease associated with an abnormality of differentiation of skeletal muscle cell or metabolism function, or as a tool for screening a drug-candidate compound effective for the prophylaxis/treatment of the disease.

Lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes mellitus, hyperlipemia, hypertension, and ischemic heart disease represent the major cause of oppressing the medical finances in advanced countries, including Japan. Modern people are liable to overeating and underexcersise; as a result, excess energy is accumulated in adipose tissue as neutral fats, which in turn causes obesity.
In recent years, it has been shown that various physiologically active proteins secreted from adipose tissue (generically referred to as adipocytokines) mediate metabolic regulation and insulin resistance, and their application to the treatment of lifestyle-related diseases has been attempted. For example, adiponectin was identified as an adipocytokine that occurs at high concentrations in blood, the secretion of which decreases with the increase in visceral fat (non-patent document 1), and it has been suggested that the decrease in the secretion of this hormone and the reduction in insulin action may be closely associated with each other (non-patent document 2). On the other hand, resistin was identified as a hormone secreted from adipocytes, which decreases the insulin action in adipose tissue, skeletal muscles, liver and the like (non-patent document 3), and is drawing attention as an adipocytokine closely associated with the onset of insulin resistance. Also, it has been shown that if fat accumulation occurs, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is expressed remarkably in visceral fat and its blood concentration increases, which can be a cause of vascular complications (non-patent document 4).
Fat accumulation in obesity also occurs in the liver, muscles, pancreas, vascular walls and the like, and causes metabolic abnormalities in these organs, resulting in the onset of insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipemia, hypertension and the like. These organs are considered to be mutually associated via endocrine factors to achieve complex and sophisticated metabolic regulation. It is postulated, therefore, that endocrine factors acting like adipocytokines are also produced and secreted from muscles, liver, small intestine, blood vessels and the like, but to date there have been almost no reports on such factors.    Non-patent document 1: Arita et al., "Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communication", (USA), 1999, Vol. 257, pp. 79-83    Non-patent document 2: Hotta et al., "Diabetes," (USA), 2001, Vol. 50, pp. 1126-1133    Non-patent document 3: Steppan et al., "Nature," (UK), 2001, Vol. 409, pp. 307-312    Non-patent document 4: Shimomura et al., "Nature Medicine", (USA), 1996, Vol. 2, pp. 800-803

Secretory or membrane protein expressed in skeletal muscles


An anti-freeze faucet structure contains: an outer pipe, an inner pipe, a control valve, a resilient element, a unidirectional sealing gasket, and a controlling assembly. The outer pipe includes an inlet, an outlet, an opening, an intake valve, and a channel, wherein the channel has plural inner threads. The inner pipe includes a connecting segment and a fitting segment opposite to the connecting segment, the fitting segment has a peripheral protrusion, and the peripheral protrusion has a plurality of outer threads screwing with the plural inner threads of the outer pipe. The control valve movably is fitted on the fitting segment to abut against and close the inlet; the resilient element is fixed in the inner pipe to push against the control valve; the unidirectional sealing gasket is fitted onto the inner pipe; and the controlling assembly is disposed on the opening of the outer pipe.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a faucet structure, and more particularly to an anti-freeze faucet structure which has excellent check effect and is operated easily and quickly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional anti-freeze faucet is employed to supply water at a frozen temperature. To avoid sewage sucking to water pipe fitting from the anti-freeze faucet by using vacuum siphon effect, a check structure is arranged in the anti-freeze faucet. As shown in FIG. 12, the conventional anti-freeze faucet contains an outer pipe 100, an inner pipe 200, a closing assembly 300, and a unidirectional sealing gasket 400, wherein the outer pipe 100 includes a first orifice 110 defined on a first end thereof and connecting with a water pipe fitting, an outlet connector 120 disposed on a second end thereof, and a channel 130 communicating with the first orifice 110 and the outlet connector 120. The inner pipe 200 is inserted into the outer pipe 100 and includes a first end extending out of the outer pipe 100 to couple with a control device 210 and a second end joining with a fitting sleeve 200. The closing assembly 300 is movably fitted with the fitting sleeve 220 of the inner pipe 200, and the control device 210 controls the inner pipe 200 to move to turn on/off water. Moreover, the unidirectional sealing gasket 400 is fitted on the closing assembly 300 to limit the water flowing through the channel 130 unidirectionally.
The conventional anti-freeze faucet generates a reverse suction in vacuum siphon effect to stop the water flowing back to the water pipe fitting from the outlet connector 120 of the outer pipe 100 by ways of the unidirectional sealing gasket 400, when the water in the water pipe fitting does not flow. Furthermore, the closing assembly 300 is driven by a suction force to close the first orifice 110 of the outer pipe 100, thus forming a check effect. However, the closing assembly 300 cannot close the first orifice 110 of the outer pipe 100 by using unstable vacuum suction completely, so sewage flows back to the water pipe fitting from the anti-freeze faucet, and the control device 210 of the inner pipe 200 screws with the outer pie 100, so the control device 210 drives the inner pipe 200 to rotate unstably, and then the closing assembly 300 fitting with the fitting sleeve 220 of the inner pipe 200 offsets easily, the first orifice 110 of the outer pipe 100 cannot be completely closed by the closing assembly 300, thereby leaking the water easily when the anti-freeze faucet is turned off.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages.


A nonwoven fabric comprising at least 50% by weight microfibers having a fineness of 1.0 dtex or less and a length of at least 30 mm and having been combined by hydroentangling. The fabric is apertured by said hydroentangling, and has been carded before hydroentangling. The fabric may be used as a topsheet material on an absorbent article.

Hydroentangling or spunlacing is a technique introduced during the 1970'ies, see e.g. CA patent no. 841 938. The method involves forming a fibre web, which is either drylaid or wetlaid, after which the fibres are entangled by means of very fine water jets under high pressure. Several rows of water jets are directed against the fibre web, which is supported by a movable wire or perforated drum. The entangled fibre web is then dried. The fibres that are used in the material can be natural fibres, especially cellulosic pulp fibres, manmade staple fibres, which may be synthetic, e.g. polyester, polyamide, polyethylene, polypropylene, or regenerated staple fibres, e.g. viscose, rayon, lyocell or the like, and mixtures of pulp fibres and staple fibres. Hydroentangled materials can be produced in high quality to a reasonable cost and depending on the type of fibers used they possess desired properties like high liquid absorption, liquid distribution, liquid inlet, softness etc. They can e.g. be used as wiping material for household or industrial use, as disposable materials in medical care, and in hygiene articles as topsheet materials and absorbent components etc.
Topsheet materials in absorbent articles like sanitary napkins, diapers, pant diapers, incontinence guards etc. are designed to distribute and move body fluids rapidly through them and into an underlying absorbent structure for storage. The more rapid, directionally controlled and thorough this transport is, the drier and cleaner the surface of the article and the greater is the comfort experienced by the wearer. Nonwoven fabrics used as topsheet often need to be modified, for example apertured, corrugated and/or treated with fluid modifying agents, such as surfactants or softeners in order to maximize its fluid handling and comfort properties. The softness of nonwoven fabrics can be increased by mechanical and/or chemical treatment.
The skin is sensitive to the changes in force required to deflect the fibres that are in contact with the skin surface. The bending stiffness of a fibre is a function of its fineness. Accordingly, for a given polymer, a decrease in filament linear fineness tends to increase its perception of softness. Spunbond and meltblown technologies are available that produce fine filaments having a fineness of 1 dtex or less. There are also known other techniques for producing nonwoven materials comprising microfibers.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,270,623 discloses an method of making an apertured nonwoven fabric useful as a topsheet on an absorbent article, wherein a wet sheet is formed from a wet slurry containing a mixture of pulp fibres and synthetic microfibers having a length between 7 and 30 mm and a fineness of 0.1-0.8 denier. The sheet is subjected to hydroentanglement. The web is apertured either as a result of hydroentanglement or by piercing with needles.
US 2003/0125687 discloses a multiple zone apertured web used as topsheet on an absorbent article. The web has at least two distinct zones of different hole sizes. The apertures may be formed by placing the web on a patterned support member and then subject it to high fluid pressure, which means hydroentanglement.
EP-A-0 418 493 discloses a nonwoven composite fabric comprising one layer selected from a web of textile fibres and a net of polymeric filaments and at least one web of meltblown microfibers, combined by hydroentangling. The web may be apertured by hydroentangling and holes of different sizes may be produced. The fabric may be used as a topsheet on an absorbent article.
US 2005/0148969 describes a combined cover layer and absorbent layer for an absorbent pantiliner comprising a mixture of hydrophilic and hydrophobic microfibers, wherein a larger quantity of hydrophobic microfibers than hydrophilic microfibers are located at the top surface of the cover layer.
However there still exists a need for improvement of nonwoven fabrics, especially adapted as topsheet materials on absorbent articles, with respect to softness, liquid inlet and rewet properties.

Hydroentangled nonwoven fabric, method of making it and absorbent article containing the fabric


Fuel additives, fuel formulations, and processes for their preparation and use are provided. The additives improve the combustion properties of hydrocarbon fuels. The enhanced combustion indicates reductions in certain emissions.

The present invention relates generally to composition and method for improving combustion and reducing polluting emissions in fuels.
The interest in improving fuel efficiency has become paramount as our natural resources dwindle and the cost of fuel continues to rise. Fuel efficiency and improved emissions characteristics can be improved by adding a fuel additive to hydrocarbon fuels. Several existing fuel additives are known to increase fuel efficiency, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,274,835, 5,826,369, and 6,193,766 describe fuel additives that improve combustion. Despite the successes of these inventions, there still remains a need for fuel additives that improve combustion.
When hydrocarbon based fuels are combusted, various pollutants are generated. These combustion products include particulates, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and lead (where leaded fuels are still in use). Ozone is also a pollutant (although not directly produced) that results from unburned hydrocarbons. Both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) have adopted ambient air quality standards directed to these pollutants. Both agencies have also adopted specifications for lower-emission gasolines and diesel fuels.
In response to these legislative efforts, producers of hydrocarbon fuels, for example gasoline, diesel, jet and the like, have attempted to readjust refinery processes so as to produce base fuels meeting these more rigid specifications. Such an approach suffers from a number of drawbacks, including the high costs involved in reconfiguring a refinery process, reduced production of the refinery, and the like. Accordingly, fuels that do not suffer these and other related economic drawbacks are highly desirable.
Hydrocarbon fuels typically contain complex mixtures of hydrocarbons, depending on the specific application: including but not limited to gasoline, diesel, jet, fuel oils, coal fuels, resid fuels, kerosene, and the like. Fuels typically may also contain other additives, including detergents, anti-icing agents, emulsifiers, corrosion inhibitors, dyes, deposit modifiers, ignition modifiers and non-hydrocarbons, for example oxygenates, for improving the emission characteristics of fuels.
It would be desirable to find compounds that have a positive effect on reducing the emissions characteristics of burnt hydrocarbon fuels. The improvement in burning (combustion such as in a jet, diesel, or gasoline engine) and emissions characteristics can be correlated to certain fuel burning testing procedures. The Smoke Point of certain fuels, including additives, can be tested using ASTM test D 1322-90 Standard Test Method for Smoke Point of Aviation Turbine Fuels. This testing procedure is hereby incorporated by reference. In particular, the test of Smoke Point can be used to show the effect of additives on a standard jet engine fuel such as A, 1, JP-4 or JP-8 (herein after all known as "Jet") that exhibit a reproducible height of a smokeless flame when burned in wick-fed lamp of the ASTM test. This test is qualitatively related to the potential radiant heat transfer from the combustion products of the fuel. Additives incorporated into a fuel that improve the combustion characteristics, that is completeness of burning, exhibit a higher smoke point. This effect can be synergistic and unexpected for certain additives that have not been previously known as additives to Hydrocarbon fuels for this purpose. When improvements in Smoke Point are found this positively correlates to reducing polluting emissions into the environment. As reduced emissions are desirable, there is an ongoing need for HC fuels that incorporate new and useful additives to accomplish the same. Accordingly, the present invention provides solutions to this ongoing problem of polluting emissions from various internal combustion devices, for example, automotive engines, diesel engines (so-called piston engines), coal burning plants, aero-engines, jet engines, two-stroke engines, and the like, thereby overcoming many of the aforementioned limitations in the hydrocarbon fuel formulation art.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Hydrocarbon fuel additives and fuel formulations exhibiting improved combustion properties


Examples disclosed herein provide systems, methods, and software for rolling over a data communication from one communication network to another. In one example, a method of operating a communication network includes receiving a secure authorization request from a wireless device and authorizing the wireless device based on a security key. The method further includes determining an identifier for a previous communication network, identifying a previous security key from the previous communication network, and integrating the previous security key with the security key to facilitate communication for the wireless device.

Wireless communication systems typically include wireless access systems with equipment such as wireless access nodes along with various control and routing nodes that provide wireless access to communication services for wireless communication devices over wireless links. A typical wireless communication system includes systems to provide wireless access across a geographic region, with wireless coverage areas associated with individual wireless access nodes. The wireless access systems exchange user communications between wireless communication devices, service providers, and other end user devices. The user communications typically include voice calls, data exchanges, web pages, streaming media, or text messages, among other communication services.
In some wireless communication systems, more than one wireless communication network can be employed across a similar geographic region, with each wireless communication network including one or more sectors of wireless coverage. For example, a first wireless network employing a first wireless communication protocol can be deployed along with a second wireless network employing a second wireless communication protocol. Separate wireless access equipment can be deployed for each wireless network, such as when a Wireless Fidelity (WIFI) network is deployed over a similar geographic area as a fourth generation Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless network or other wireless networks.
In some examples, it may be beneficial to handoff data communications from a first network to another overlapping network. Some instances where this may be beneficial include moments when the signal strength of the first network is diminished, the speed of the overlapping network is greater, and the security is better on the overlapping network, amongst other possible beneficial handoff moments. As a result, it is necessary to efficiently, quickly, and securely transition a wireless device from the first network to the second network.
Overview
Examples disclosed herein provide systems, methods, and software for rolling over a data communication from one communication network to another. In one example, a method of operating a communication network includes receiving a secure authorization request from a wireless device and authorizing the wireless device based on a security key. The method further includes determining an identifier for a previous communication network, identifying a previous security key from the previous communication network, and integrating the previous security key with the security key to facilitate communication for the wireless device.


In some examples, a computing system may receive a plurality of string matching requests with respect to a plurality of data streams, and determine one or more opportunities for aggregation of string matching.

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Data centers see business opportunities in offering an entire spectrum of services from virtualized basic hardware to turnkey task accomplishments. In particular, any task that scales better for the data center operator than it does for users renting virtual machines is a candidate for data centers to offer as a turnkey service. As an example, video transcoding is being offered by a data center operator as a turnkey service because it is difficult for users to run efficient video transcoding on arbitrary virtual machines.
String matching is another function by which data centers may scale better than individual users. Multipattern string matching is a general purpose function in which a processing module reports occurrences of a given set or dictionary string in a stream of data. Multipattern string matching arises in a number of applications including network intrusion detection, digital forensics, business analytics, and natural language processing. In one example, calculating the "reach" of a social media post involves recognizing and pulling all URLs out of a stream of data or detecting URLs that have various properties, and then processing the specific posts to extract unique subscriber counts and the like. Similarly, many consumer companies pay for access to feeds of various content posting streams in order to search for indications of feelings towards their products to either deal with discontent or promulgate positive crowd stories.
Realizing the value of multipattern search across multiple users has a number of challenges, however. To realize such advantages a data center will need to find and unify similar search streams, and then manage search and report ownership.

Automatic aggregation for infrastructure string matching


A reactivity control rod adapted to be used in a reactor core of a fast reactor and disposed at a substantially central portion of the reactor core for controlling a reactivity therein. The reactivity control rod includes a wrapper tube surrounded by a plurality of fuel rods in a reactor core, and a plurality of neutron absorber rods arranged in the wrapper tube. At least one of the plurality of neutron absorber rods includes a cladding tube and a mixture filled in the cladding tube. The mixture is composed of a neutron absorber that absorbs a neutron and a neutron moderator that moderates the neutron.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reactivity control rod for a core, a core of a nuclear, a nuclear reactor and a nuclear power plant.
More particularly, the present invention relates to a reactivity control rod for a core, which can elongate the lifetime of the core, a core of a nuclear reactor composed of the reactivity control rod, which can have a long lifetime, a nuclear reactor which is cooled by a liquid metal and is able to reduce scattering of the liquid metal so as to be made into a small size thereof and a nuclear power plant which comprises the nuclear reactor.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional liquid metal cooled nuclear reactor with a small size, that is, a fast reactor is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,420,897.
Moreover, a conventional fast reactor has a structure for moving a neutron reflector in a vertical direction so as to adjust (control) a leakage of neutron from the core thereof, thus to compensate a change of reactivity of the core due to a burn-up (combustion) thereof.
In the aforesaid conventional liquid metal cooled nuclear reactors, an intermediate heat exchanger is arranged in a reactor vessel. A primary coolant performs the heat exchanging operation with a secondary coolant in the intermediate heat exchanger, and the exchanged secondary coolant is circulated to a steam generator arranged outside the reactor vessel so as to generate a steam. Namely, the conventional liquid metal cooled nuclear reactor has a structure of requiring a steam generator for generating a steam, an electromagnetic pump for circulating a secondary coolant between the reactor vessel and the steam generator, and piping equipments connecting them.
An activated liquid metal such as sodium is used as each of the coolants. For this reason, the reactor vessel and a facility using the liquid metal arranged around the reactor vessel have complicated structures, so that there is the possibility that an auxiliary facility is required in preparation for a leakage of the activated liquid metal, fire caused thereby or the like.
Moreover, in the conventional liquid metal cooled nuclear reactor, the liquid metal which is easily activated, such as sodium is used as the coolant. That is, in the steam generator, the liquid metal which is easily activated reacts to water to generate a steam. For this reason, in cases where a water leakage occurs in a heating tube of the steam generator, it is difficult to avoid an occurrence of an accident caused by the reaction between the sodium and the leaked water.
The reaction between the sodium and the leaked water causes a reaction product, so that, in order to prevent the reaction product from directly being radiated, a secondary cooling system facility must be required.
In addition, a facility for housing the reaction product must be required so that there is the possibility that the reactor system, as a whole, is made into a large size thereof, and that the cost of manufacturing the reactor system is made to be increased.
Furthermore, the electromagnetic pump is arranged in a liquid metal; however, it is coaxially arranged in series on a downstream side (lower side) of the intermediate heat exchanger in view of a heat resistant characteristic of a large-sized conductive coil of the electromagnetic pump or the like. On the other hand, each of tube plates arranged above and below the intermediate heat exchanger has a structure which is easy to receive a thermal stress, and an enlargement of its diameter causes an increase of the thermal stress so that it is taken into consideration to prevent each of the tube plates from being made into a large size thereof.
As described above, in the conventional liquid metal cooled reactor, the intermediate heat exchanger and the electromagnetic pump are vertically arranged in series; for this reason, the reactor is made into a large size thereof in its height direction (in its axial direction).
The reactor with a large size in its axial direction has a structure which is easily oscillated, thereby making it unstable.
On the other hand, in a conventional neutron reflector migration type of fast reactor, when elongating the lifetime of the core thereof, it must be necessary to make long the length of fuel assembly in the core.
That is, according to the progress of combustion of the fuel assembly, a reactivity of the fuel assembly becomes negative.
Therefore, in order to offset the negative reactivity, a neutron reflector is left up from a lower portion of the core to cover the height thereof so as to improve the ability of reflecting neutron, thereby increasing a positive reactivity of the neutron reflector, so that a reactivity of the whole core of the reactor needs to be set to 0; that is, it is necessary to make the reactor operate so as to keep a combustion in a critical state.
Thus, in order to elongate an operating period of the reactor, a fuel length of the fuel assembly must be made long. Furthermore, in cases where the fuel length of the fuel assembly is made long, the reactor vessel of the reactor becomes long as a whole; as a result, there is the possibility of deteriorating the economics of the reactor. Furthermore, there are problems of causing a change of reactivity by deformation of the core in the lifetime thereof the core, an increase of pullout force of the fuel assembly.


The present invention provides a novel methanofullerene derivative applicable as an organic semiconductor material in electronics devices such as organic FETs and electroluminescence devices and solar cells, represented by formula (I) wherein the average value of 13C-NMR chemical shift values of carbons C2 and C2′ on FL, bonded to C1 is 80.10 ppm or greater,

Solar power generation, which converts light energy such as sunlight to electric energy is an extremely clean way to generate electricity because it is not accompanied with CO2 emission, and has been expected solve the global warming issues by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. An organic thin film solar cell can be expected to be large in area, and produced by a simple and inexpensive manner and thus is deemed a promising next generation solar cell because of its light weight and great flexibility. However, a significant increase in the conversion efficiency of the organic thin film solar cell has become an important issue towards the practical use of the cell.
In 1992 Sariciftci demonstrated that a hetero junction cell of an electrically conductive polymer that is a hole transport material and fullerene C60 can provide an efficient charge separation (see Non-Patent Literature 1, Patent Literature 1).
Furthermore, for the purpose of enhancing the compatibility of a fullerene with a hole transport material, a methanofullerene was synthesized, wherein phenyl and butyric acid ester group are cross-linked via methylene (phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester: PCBM). When poly[2-methoxy,5-(2′-ethyl-hexyloxy)-p-penylene vinylene] (MEH-PPV) wherein an alkoxy group is introduced in poly p-phenylene vinylene is mixed with PCBM to form an active layer, the resulting MEH-PPV/PCBM system with this active layer was significantly improved in photo conversion efficiency as compared with C60 (see Non-Patent Literature 2).
Sariciftci et al has accomplished an energy conversion efficiency of 3.5 percent with a bulk-hetero junction structure comprising a mixed active layer of a conjugated polymer such as poly(3-hexylthiophene), P3HT that is a hole transport material and a methanofullerene derivative PCBM (see Non-Patent Literature 3).
Heeger and Carroll et al each have reported that an energy conversion efficiency of approximately 5 percent was accomplished by heating this blend film device (see Non-Patent Literatures 4 and 5).
In order to promote an significant improvement in energy conversion efficiency, it is now important to develop novel p-type semiconductor materials and n-type semiconductor materials. P3HT and PCBM are now standard materials for a p-type semiconductor and an n-type conductor, respectively to manufacture a device, and thus the conversion efficiency has been currently enhanced only by improving the device. Although it has been reported that some new polymers are useful for the p-type semiconductor, there are only few examples of development of fullerene derivatives for the n-type semiconductor used in a photoelectric conversion material, and thus it is no exaggeration to say that there is nothing to beyond PCBM.
When a consideration is now given to the design guideline of a fullerene derivative, the compatibility of the fullerene derivative with a hole transport material is extremely important as apparent from the fact that PCBM was synthesized for the purpose of enhancing the compatibility of a fullerene with a hole transport material to produce a donor/acceptor complex film, and the MEH-PPV/PCBM system was significantly improved in photoelectric conversion efficiency as compared with C60. It has been also reported that substitution of the phenyl ring of PCBM with an electron-donating substituent increases LUMO (lowest unoccupied molecular orbital, the orbital with the lowest energy among the molecular orbital unoccupied with electrons), and when the PCBM with the substituent is fabricated into a device, it can increase the open end voltage, resulting in an increase in energy conversion efficiency (Non-Patent Literature 6).
Under these circumstances, the molecular design of fullerene derivatives has been demanded, which are excellent in dissolubility, enhanced in compatibility with polymers that are p-type semiconductors, and have a high open end voltage.
The inventors of the present invention proposed a novel methanofullerene derivative to satisfy these demands (Patent Literature 2) but it is not sufficient in open end voltage. A methanofullerene derivative with a higher open end voltage has been demanded.

Methanofullerene derivatives and photoelectric conversion devices using same

Abstract: wherein FL represents fullerenes, X1 and X2 are each an aromatic hydrocarbon, an alkyl group or the like, C2 and C2′ are carbon atoms on FL, bonded to C1, and n is an integer of 1 to 10.

Osaka Municipal Technical Research Institute


Absorbent article such as a diaper and an incontinence guard comprising a pair of belt portions (9) attached to the rear portion (6) of the article and which are intended to be fastened together around the waist of the wearer and where said front portion (5) is provided with attachment means (8) intended to be attached to the belt portions (9), in such a way that the article will assume a pantlike shape, where the belt portions (9) form a part of the waist portions of the pant. The belt portions (9) are before use folded in accordion-like fashion and each form an accordion-like folded package (11) which is arranged in a pocket (12) at each side edge of the rear portion (6) of the absorbent article, and can be extended from said pocket and unfolded when the article is to be used, after which the belt portions may be fastened together around the waist of the wearer.

The present invention refers to an absorbent article such as a diaper and an incontinence guard comprising a liquid permeable topsheet, a liquid impermeable backsheet and an absorbent body enclosed therebetween, said article having a front portion, a rear portion and a crotch portion therebetween, and further is provided with a pair of belt portions attached to the rear portion of the article and which are intended to be fastened together an sound the waist of the wearer and where said front portion is provided with attachment means intended to be attached to the belt portions, in such a way that the article will assume a pantlike shape, where the belt portions form a part of the waist portions of the pant.
Diapers and incontinence guards for incontinent adults usually have a garment portion holding an absorbent body in place against the user""s body and attachment means which hold the garment portion in place also when the user is moving. A common type of attachment means are adhesive tapes or hook and loop fasteners of the touch-and-close type which directly attach the front and rear portions of the absorbent article to each other. It is her known, through e.g. EP-A-0 287 388, EP-A-0 409 307, EP-A-0 605 012 and PR-A-2 596 558, to attach the front and rear portions of the article by means of a belt, at which the possibilities to adjust the fit are improved. The belt further provides a simplified change of diaper or incontinence guard. The ends of the belt portions can however be difficult to grasp when the article shall be applied to a wearer, especially if the wearer is lying down and the belt ends get caught under the wearer.
Through WO 86/04812 it is previously known to fold the attachment straps of a diaper, i.e. the straps that carry the attachment means that fasten up the front and rear portions of the diaper, in accordion-like fashion before they are applied to the diaper in order to simplify manufacture and packaging of the products. The folded attachment straps are kept together by a weak adhesive applied in narrow zones in order to be easily released and unfolded when the diaper is ready for use. The attachment straps do however not constitute a belt as defined in the present invention.
Through EP-A-0 463 276 it is previously known to keep extensible fastener tabs in pockets at each side edge at the rear portion of the diaper. The fastener tabs are elastic and can when used be extended and starched from the pockets. Neither in this case the fastener tabs constitute a belt which is to be attached around the waist of the user.
The object of the present invention is to accomplish a belt-provided absorbent article, such as a diaper or incontinence guard, in which the application of the product on the user is simplified by the fact that the belt portions during application are easily accessible even if the user is lying down. This has according to the invention been solved by the fact that the belt portions before use are folded in accordion-like fashion and each form an accordion-like folded package which is arranged in a pocket at each side edge of the rear portion of the absorbent article, and can be extended from said pocket and unfolded when the article is to be used, after which the belt portions may be fastened together around the waist of the wearer.
According to a preferred embodiment said pocket is formed between the liquid pervious topsheet and the liquid impervious backsheet of the rear portion.
Preferably the accordion folds of the belt portions are kept together by easily breakable seals.


An annularly configured device for use on each earthquake restrainer cable of a bridge, which device, will deform due to its internal configuration upon the occurrence of an earthquake, if the earthquake stresses the bridge cable with which the device is associated excessively. The result of the stress is a visual indication of the cable's elongation as manifested by a "crowning" of the annular indicator and a shortening of its length. The specific configuration required of the annular member is one of a reduced thickness section of the interior wall, with tapered edges leading to the main cross section of the annular member.

In civil engineering terminology, a bridge is a structural unit or a series of structural units called spans which are designed primarily for the purpose of supporting moving loads in addition to the bridge's own weight. These structures are generally known to, provide means for foot, highway, rail or even horse traffic to pass from one location to another over water, ground depressions, railroad tracks and other obstacles which may impede traffic flow. The instant invention is utilized on non-movable spans. A non-movable span is a bridge which while moving, does not have the total span move such as a vertical lift bridge, a swing bridge which may rotate 90 degrees, or a bascule bridge which pivots about a horizontal access or rolls back on circular segments.
Bridges that are relatively long, and which cannot be made in a single span to stretch from one column or bent on one side of the obstacle, be it a river, a set of tracks, a road, etcetera to reach the other side of the obstacle, are constructed in a plurality of spans connected together these bridges are called multi-span structures. The type of material used for construction dictates the maximum length of a span between two bents. Because materials move by thermal expansion and contraction, joints must be incorporated into the design or the bridge will tear itself apart. The joints are in two main forms, over bent joint and a fully supported hinge.
One type of bridge construction is known as a box beam system, wherein a box beam will stretch from a first side of the span and from the second side of the span but the distance between is not covered by a single column, but rather by a junction of a plurality of columns. This type of bridge construction is known as hinge bridge construction and the hinge between the two portions is shaped like a pair of elements, one of which is shaped like a FIG. 7 the other of which is shaped like an L both of which rest against each other. This combined element is called the bridge hinge. This quadrilateral shaped element is known in the art as a Wichert truss.
A series of cables are used to hold the vertical and horizontal portions of the hinge together. In the case of earthquake, these cables will elongate and absorb the energy that may cause the bridge to fail. Prior to the Northridge, Calif. earthquake and for several years subsequent thereto, the cables from the hinge were replaced on a guesstimate basis as to whether or not they had in fact elongated due to the longitudinal stresses that may have been placed upon them. Once a cable has been stressed to cause it to elongate, the cable becomes strain hardened and is no longer usable for its intended purpose. It was found that there was indeed a need for a cable yield indicator to advise a bridge inspector when and as one or more of the cables of a hinge bridge had extended.
It is an object therefore of this invention to provide an indicator means that gives a positive indication as to when an earthquake restrainer cable of a hinge bridge has elongated.
It is another object of this invention to provide a positive means of detecting cable elongation due to earthquake forces.
It is yet another object to provide a low cost device that is light in weight and which will give a visual indication of the previous existence of a stressed condition in an earthquake restrainer cable.
It is a still further object to provide an easy to install device that will advise a bridge inspector that a restrainer cable has elongated due to earthquake forces.
It is an additional object to provide a device that provides a visual indication that a bridge's earthquake restrainer cable has elongated due to the stress suffered by the cable.
Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.
The invention accordingly comprises the device possessing the features properties and the relation of components which are exemplified in the following detailed disclosure and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.
For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be made to the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Cable yield indicator for earthquake restrainer cables


A cage includes a pair of annular rings and a plurality of cage bars, and an area enclosed by the pair of annular rings and the circumferentially adjacent cage bars that serves as a pocket that holds the roller. The cage further includes a tab provided so as to protrude from a radially outer area of the cage bars to prevent the roller in the pocket from slipping out through the pocket toward a radially outer side. A surface of a bottom portion of the tab is discontinuous with surfaces of the cage bar, which are located on both sides of the tab in a longitudinal direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a roller bearing.
2. Description of Related Art
Roller bearings are used as bearings that support rotating shafts of various types of equipment. For example, in a hydraulic pump for a construction machine, a roller bearing is used to receive a component of an axial load imposed on a piston and a swash plate.
The roller bearing includes an inner ring, an outer ring, a plurality of rollers, and an annular cage that holds the rollers. The cage includes a pair of annular rings and a plurality of cage bars joining the annular rings together. Areas enclosed by the pair of annular rings and circumferentially adjacent cage bars are configured as pockets that hold respective rollers (see, for example, FIG. 1 in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-69282 (JP 2005-69282 A)). In recent years, resin has been adopted as a material for the cage in order to meet a demand for reduced costs.
In some cages, tabs 93 are provided in a radially outer area of a cage bar 92 so as to prevent a roller 99 from slipping out through a pocket 91 as depicted in FIG. 11. The tabs 93 protrude from the cage bar 92. When the bearing is assembled, the roller 99 in the pocket 91 comes into contact with inner surfaces 94 of the tabs 93. Thus, the roller 99 can be prevented from slipping out (falling) through the pocket 91. When assembly of the bearing is complete, the tabs 93 allow the cage 90 to be positioned between the inner ring and the outer ring by the rollers 99.
To allow the cage 90 as described above to be molded using resin, a molten resin is poured into a cavity in a mold and solidified. To allow the cage 90, which is a molded product, to be demolded, a part 98 of the mold that penetrates the cage 90 in a radial direction needs to be extracted through the molded pocket 91 toward the outside in the radial direction (arrow Y direction in FIG. 12) as depicted in FIG. 12.
At this time, what is called forced extraction needs to be performed in which the part 98 of the mold is extracted while the tabs 93 are being elastically deformed. In FIG. 12, directions in which the tabs 93 are elastically deformed are depicted by arrows K1 and K2. It is expected that, when forced extraction is performed in this manner, heavy loads are imposed on forcibly extracted portions (tabs 93) and peripheries thereof, leading to local stress. The stress may cause the cage 90, formed of the resin, to be subjected to whitening or damage such crack or breakage.


Apparatus for abstracting heat comprises a container charged with a first liquid and with small auxiliary containers free to circulate in the first liquid. Each of the small auxiliary containers is charged with a second liquid. The freezing point of the first liquid is less than the second liquid such that when the second liquid is frozen, the first liquid is not, is free to circulate, and permits the auxiliary containers to circulate in the first liquid.

This invention pertains to apparatus for abstracting heat from a substance.
More particularly, the invention pertains to an improved apparatus which utilizes a matrix comprised of liquids and solids to abstract, over an extended period of time, heat from a substance.
So called xe2x80x9ccold packsxe2x80x9d are well known and typically, for example, comprise pliable, hollow, vinyl containers filled with a gelatin. In use, the cold pack is frozen and is placed against an individual""s neck or other part of the individual""s body to cool the individual. One such conventional cold pack is marketed under the trademark xe2x80x9cTHERAPACxe2x80x9d and comprises a twelve inch-by-twelve inch two ply vinyl container filled with a white odorless insoluble gelatin. Another conventional cold pack is marketed under the trademark xe2x80x9cCOLPACxe2x80x9d and comprises a twelve inch-by-twelve inch single ply polymer container filled with a gray odorless soluble gelatin. Such conventional cold packs are widely disseminated and effectively absorb heat. One principal disadvantage of such cold packs is that they have a relatively short-lived ability to stay cold. For example, when the THERAPAC and COLPAC cold packs noted above are removed from a freezer, the temperature on the outer surface of the cold pack can be five degrees F. After about an hour, the temperature can be about forty-five to fifty degrees F. After about two hours, the temperature on the outer surface of the cold packs can be about fifty-two to fifty-eight degrees F. After about three hours, the temperature can be about sixty-five to seventy degrees F. Consequently, after only an hour the temperature of the outer surface of each of the cold packs is well above freezing.
Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to provide an improved cold pack which would, after being exposed to ambient temperature, maintain a low temperature for an extended period of time.
Therefore, it is a principal object of the invention to provide an improved apparatus for abstracting heat from a solid, liquid, gas or other substance.
A further object of the instant invention is to provide an improved cold pack which will maintain a cold temperature for an extended period of time after being exposed to a temperature greater than that of the cold pack.

Apparatus for abstracting heat with a solid--liquid matrix utilizing a kinetic--circulation--kinetic heat transfer cycle


Provided is a FeCrCuTiV high-entropy alloy powder for laser melting deposition manufacturing and a preparation method thereof, in percent by weight, the composition of the high-entropy alloy powder is: chromium 17-20%; copper 22-25%; titanium 16-19%; vanadium 17-20%; and ferrum 19-22%, wherein by utilizing the solid solution effect of alloying elements such as Ti, V and Cu of the high-entropy alloy, it can effectively alleviate the differences in thermal expansion coefficient, melting point, elastic modulus, etc. of the tungsten/steel or tungsten/copper heterogeneous interface, can reduce the residual stress level at the heterogeneous interface during the laser melting deposition manufacturing process and avoid the precipitation of Laves phase, and can meet the manufacturing requirements of tungsten/steel and tungsten/copper heterogeneous components for fusion reactors.

Plasma facing components (PFCs) play a key role in fusion reactors, suffer from severe conditions such as periodic thermal loads and neutron irradiation, and require safety and reliability and long life. Metal tungsten and its alloys have been used as candidates for plasma facing components in nuclear fusion reactors due to a series of excellent properties, and metal copper and low-activated steel are candidate heat sink materials. It is desirable to develop tungsten steel PFC components with complex flow channel structures for fusion reactor devices. At present, tungsten/steel and tungsten/copper heterogeneous components with complex flow channel structures are generally prepared by casting or welding assembly methods, but for certain varied cross-section flow channels with extraordinary complex shapes, they are difficult to produce by casting and welding, and the performance of the casting structures is poor. And meanwhile, due to the large difference in physical properties between tungsten and copper or between tungsten and steel, a large residual stress is easy to generate at the welding heterogeneous interface, and the weld seam structure inevitably forms a thick Laves phase, which seriously affects the performance of the joint. The traditional manufacturing process cannot produce high-quality high-performance tungsten steel heterogeneous alloy components with complex flow channel structures, and due to that laser additive manufacturing can achieve highly flexible processing of the fine structure of heterogeneous materials on the surface of complex components, it is proposed to use laser additive manufacturing method to prepare tungsten/steel and tungsten/copper heterogeneous components.
Laser melting deposition technology has development potential in the manufacture of tungsten/steel components with complex flow channel structures, but due to the combined action of the residual stress caused by the difference in physical properties of tungsten/steel or tungsten/copper and the FeW hard and brittle phase formed by mass transfer and diffusion, it is likely to cause cracking at tungsten/steel or tungsten/copper heterogeneous interface. Therefore, how to choose and design a suitable composition system as the transition layer is the current direction of exploration, and the high-entropy alloy is a multi-component solid solution with stable structure and excellent comprehensive performance, which has good application prospects in the field of engineering materials. CN201710658129 discloses a CrMnFeVTi high-entropy alloy with ultra-high strength and hardness and corrosion-resistant, CN201811317268 discloses a multi-phase high-entropy alloy, and at present, domestic and foreign scholars have successfully prepared high-entropy alloy system solid solution such as Fe and W containing CoCrNiFeW1−xMox and FeWNiCuMo series through powder metallurgy. However, due to the characteristics of the laser additive manufacturing process and the difficulty of combining heterogeneous components such as tungsten/steel and tungsten/copper, the current alloy powder still cannot meet its process requirements, and the manufacturing requirements for low activation performance in nuclear fusion devices require, and it is required to further design and study the composition optimization of high-entropy alloy powder used in laser additive manufacturing.

FeCrCuTiV high-entropy alloy powder for laser melting deposition manufacturing and preparation method thereof


The present invention relates to an improved process for forming negative tone images of photosensitive polyimides on a substrate having improved wall angles.

Polyimides are known in the art for use in the manufacture of integrated circuits including chips (e.g. chip back end of line), thin film packages and printed circuit boards. Polyimides are useful in forming dielectric interlayers, passivation layers, alpha particle barriers and stress buffers. Photosensitive polyimides are particularly useful as an interlayer dielectric material to insulate the conductor wiring interconnecting the chips on a multichip module. This is known as thin-film wiring. A multichip module is an intermediate level of packaging between the chips and the circuit board. Multichip modules are generally known in the art. Multichip modules are made up of multiple layers of power, signal and ground planes which deliver power to the chips and distribute the input/output signals between chips on the module or to/from the circuit board. The use of photosensitive polyimide provides a simplified method for the fabrication of the patterned polyimide required for these thin film wiring schemes.
Photosensitive polyimides useful as a dielectric layer for conductor wiring in a multichip module are known in the art. "Polyimide Coatings" by Craig, Electronic Materials Handbook, Vol. 1, discloses negative tone photosensitive polyamic acid esters where the ester moiety is covalently bound to the polymer backbone and contains unsaturated linkages in the form of acrylates or methacrylates. Upon exposure to light, these groups, in conjunction with a suitable photopackage (photoinitiator and sensitizer), crosslink via a free radical mechanism resulting in differential solubility between the exposed and unexposed regions. Subsequent development with a suitable solvent system followed by a high temperature cure results in a negative tone imaged polyimide dielectric layer. However, during the high temperature cure, the components of the photopackage in the exposed area are volatilized resulting in excessive shrinkage of the polyimide. The shrinkage of the polyimide results in degradation of the quality of the image. In particular, the shrinkage causes tapering of the walls of image features (e.g. increase in wall angle determined by linewidth difference between the width a the bottom of the trench feature and the width at the top of the trench feature which normally expands outwardly to form a generally V-shaped trench.) Degradation of image quality can result in cross talk between circuit lines. There is still a need in the art for a suitable process for forming negative tone images of polyimide on a substrate with improved wall angles.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved process for forming negative tone images of polyimide on a substrate.
Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following disclosure.

Process for forming negative tone images of polyimides using base treatment of crosslinked polyamic ester

International Business Machines Corporation


A pre-stressed segmented concrete tower for wind power generators is described, and a method for its fabrication, wherein in a pyramidal structure is formed by prefabricated segments, the structure comprising three rounded walls formed with semi-circular segments, and three flat walls, formed with flat segments between the semi-circular walls. One standard curved mold is used for the semi-circular walls, and the flat walls are fabricated horizontally, over templates.

1. Field of the Invention
This application relates to a pre-stressed concrete tower for wind-power generators, particularly post-tensioned concrete, its design and constructive process, the towers include a cylinder divided in three substantially equal semi-circular sectors, arranged to form a pyramid. The three concrete sectors are joined together with concrete prefabricated slabs forming a triangle, to form a tower having variable cross-sections, which ends in a circular section at its upper end. Both the semi-circular segments and the slabs are pre-fabricated into sections that allow them to be erected, joined together and attached to a foundation, by prestressing cables. The prefabricated parts, because of their size, can be fabricated on-site, thus avoiding the need to be transported.
2. Description of the Related Art
Towers of several designs have been proposed for wind-power generation. For example, several different towers have been built, having metal structures based on armatures; also, they have been built with tubular sections. In both cases, their height is limited because of their dimensions, the turbulence caused by the air, their strength against intense earthquakes, and their ease of building, because in many cases it is not practical for the heights presently used.
Also, towers of the prior art are known such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,826,800, on a conical tower built into concrete segments joined by tension elements.
Also, the German utility model DE 29809540U describes a segmented pre-stressed concrete tower for wind-energy generators. According to this publication, conical frustrum (i.e., truncated conical) segments are fabricated in-plant, which later are erected and joined together. According to the publication, towers of two hundred meters' height, or more, can be erected in this way.
According to International Patent WO-2004/007955, a construction system for conical segmented towers is described. This publication describes the use of molds for in-shop fabrication of each concrete segment. The concrete segment includes a series of ducts. When the segments are erected, pre-stressing elements are run into the ducts to protect their structural integrity.
The segmented-concrete tower systems of the prior art, each have at least the following drawbacks. Frustro-conical segments require one mold for each segment that is to be constructed. Moreover, because of their sizes such molds are complex and costly, some of them having approximately 6.5 meters in diameter and 4 meters' in height. In addition, they must be used in a facility for pre-fabricating the concrete segments. The transportation to the site of these pre-fabricated sections, which can weigh more than 60 metric tons, must be carefully planned, using thereby big cranes and flatcars adequate for their size. Because there are a multiplicity of different molds, the joining of the pieces is a difficult factor, requiring complex devices to accomplish this joining. This is the case of Patent WO-02/04766. The erection of these sections must be done with large-capacity cranes, using very high scaffolds, which influences the cost of said erection.

Pre-stressed concrete tower for wind power generators


This disclosure provides a pre-mixed lost circulation treatment that can be pre-mixed ahead of time at a plant and delivered to a drilling site in one or more transport containers because the pre-mixture having a shelf life of at least one month and possibly longer. Because the components of the lost circulation treatment are mixed at a controlled mix site, the consistency of the lost circulation treatment is improved and can be better maintained from one lost circulation treatment to another. Further, one or more of the components of the pre-mixed treatment can be placed in a portable tote container that can be quickly and easily transported to the drilling site upon demand, or the tote can be delivered to the drilling site before a lost circulation zone is actually encountered.

Natural resources such as gas, oil, and water residing in a subterranean formation or zone are usually recovered by drilling a wellbore down to the subterranean formation while circulating a drilling fluid in the wellbore. On occasion, highly porous or fractured zones are encountered while drilling, causing a sudden loss in the drilling fluid column and are referred to as lost circulation zones. When a lost circulation zone is encountered, it can often lead to a rapid depletion of the drilling fluid (e.g., mud) column in the wellbore as the drilling fluid rapidly flows into the lost circulation zone. Such events can be critical to the integrity of the wellbore, and if this problem is not quickly controlled, the well can be "lost," for example, due to stuck drill pipe that can be very difficult or impossible to retrieve. When a lost circulation zone is encountered, lost circulation fluids, which are prepared at the drilling site are circulated down hole in an attempt to seal the lost circulation zone and prevent further drilling fluid column loss.

Mixing process and delivery of lost circulation slurries


An instrument for measuring electrical parameters includes a measurement section having a measurement aperture; and a support section providing at least one of power and digital control for the measurement section. The support section has an interference signal frequency, wherein the interference frequency is an integer multiple of the reciprocal of the measurement aperture and the measurement aperture and the interference signal are phase-locked. As a result, the effect of the interference signal on electrical parameters measured is minimized.

The present invention relates to instruments for electrical measurement and, in particular, to the minimization of the effects off interfering signals.
Measurement instruments for making electrical measurements, particularly high accuracy and/or low level measurement can be adversely affected by interference from signals generated by the instruments themselves. For example, power supplies, particularly switching power supplies, may generate substantial interference. As a further example, digital logic control circuitry may do the same. The high frequency content of such signals tends to make it difficult to isolate these signals from the measurement section of the instrument.
It is even more of a problem when attempts are made to miniaturize an instrument and/or to more densely arrange instruments. One desirable configuration is to design instruments that can be implemented on cards suitable for use in devices such as personal computers. However, it is difficult to provide power and control of the measurement section while maintaining measurement integrity.

Measurement instrument with synchronized interference signals


Disclosed is a fluid dynamic bearing device in which it is possible to prevent detachment of the shaft member reliably and at low cost without involving any increase in the device size. In a thrust bearing portion T, the lower end surface of the shaft member is held in contact with a thrust plate, and the shaft member is rotatably supported in the thrust direction. Protrusions extending radially inwards are provided on a sealing portion attached to an opening of the housing, and these protrusions are engaged with a small diameter portion formed on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft member, thereby preventing the shaft member from coming off.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fluid dynamic bearing device rotatably supporting a shaft member by a dynamic pressure action in a non-contact fashion through the intermediation of a lubricant film generated in a radial bearing clearance. This bearing device is suitable for use in a spindle motor of an information apparatus, for example, a magnetic disc apparatus, such as an HDD or an FDD, an optical disc apparatus, such as a CD-ROM, a CD-R/RW, or a DVD-ROM/RAM, or a magneto-optical disc apparatus, such as an MD or an MO, the polygon scanner motor of a laser beam printer (LBP), a color wheel for a projector, or the small motor of an electric apparatus, such as an axial flow fan.
2. Related Background Art
Apart from high rotational accuracy, an improvement in speed, a reduction in cost, a reduction in noise, etc. are required of the motors as mentioned above. One of the factors determining such requisite performances is the bearing supporting the spindle of the motor. Recently, use of a fluid dynamic bearing superior in the above requisite performances is being considered, or such a fluid dynamic bearing has been actually put into practical use. This type of fluid dynamic bearing is roughly classified into two categories: a dynamic pressure bearing equipped with a dynamic pressure generating means for generating dynamic pressure in a lubricant in a bearing clearance, and a circular bearing equipped with no such dynamic pressure generating means (a bearing whose bearing surface is of a circular configuration).
A fluid dynamic bearing device using such a fluid dynamic bearing comprises a radial bearing portion supporting a shaft member in a radial direction, and a thrust bearing portion supporting it in a thrust direction. Usually, in a fluid dynamic bearing device, a fluid dynamic bearing is used in the radial bearing portion, and a fluid dynamic bearing or a pivot bearing supporting the axial end of the shaft member in a contact fashion with a thrust plate is used in the thrust bearing portion.
In a fluid dynamic bearing device whose thrust bearing portion is formed by a pivot bearing, the shaft member is pressed against the thrust plate by a magnetic force between the rotor and stator of the motor, whereby the shaft member is regulated in its axial movement to the side opposite to the thrust plate. However, when an impact load or the like in excess of the above-mentioned magnetic force is applied to the motor, or when the motor is used in an upright or a horizontal position, there is the possibility of the shaft member moving axially to the side opposite to the thrust plate to be detached from the bearing sleeve.
In view of this, to prevent such detachment of the shaft member, there is conventionally provided a flange-like detachment preventing portion in the outer periphery of the shaft member, wherein the detachment preventing portion is axially engaged with an end surface of the radial bearing (JP 2003-294049 A). Alternatively, a detachment preventing member is provided on the stationary side, and is engaged with a recess in the shaft (JP 2000-171712 A).
Both of the conventional techniques as disclosed in the above-mentioned publications require an additional member for preventing detachment. Thus, an increase in the number of parts is involved. Further, it is necessary to provide a step for mounting this additional member, resulting in an increase in cost. At the same time, to install this detachment preventing member, it is necessary to additionally secure an axial mounting space in the bearing device, which impedes a reduction in the size of the fluid dynamic bearing device.


A radiation sensitive resin composition useful as a chemically amplified positive tone resist is provided. The composition comprises (A) a copolymer which becomes soluble in an alkali developing solution by the action of an acid, the copolymer containing a recurring unit (I) having a structure which is decomposed by the action of an acid and increases the solubility in an alkaline developing solution and a recurring unit(II) obtained from a compound having at least two (meth)acryloyl groups in the molecule by the cleavage of the carbon-carbon double bond, and (B) a photoacid generator which produces an acid on being irradiated by a radiation. The composition exhibits high resolution, superb capability of producing superior pattern forms, and excellent resistance to PED, and high process stability, is affected by a standing wave only to a minimum extent, and possessed prominent heat resistance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a radiation sensitive resin composition and, more particularly, to a radiation sensitive resin composition useful as a chemically amplified positive tone resist which is suitable for use in precision machining utilizing various types of radiation such as ultraviolet light, deep ultraviolet light, X-rays, or charged particle rays.
2. Description of the Background Art
Miniaturization of a design rule in lithography has been undergoing rapid progress in fields requiring fine work such as the manufacture of integrated circuit elements in order to achieve high integrity in ICs. Development of a lithography process capable of performing fine work, even of a size of 0.5 .mu.m or smaller, in a stable manner is actively being undertaken.
However, it is difficult to produce such a minute pattern at high precision by conventional methods using visible light (wavelength 700-400 nm) or near ultraviolet light (wavelength 400-300 nm). Because of this, lithography processes using radiation with a short wavelength (wavelength 300 nm or less), capable of achieving a wider depth of focus, and effective for miniaturizing a fine design rule has been proposed.
Examples of such lithography processes using short wavelength radiation are processes using a deep ultraviolet light such as a KrF excimer laser (wavelength 248 nm), an ArF excimer laser (wavelength 193 nm), X-rays such as synchrotron radiation, and charged particle rays such as an electron beam. A chemically amplified resist has been proposed by International Business Machines(IBM) as a high resolution resist used for such short wavelength radiation. Development and improvement of the chemically amplified resist are actively being undertaken at present.
A chemically amplified resist contains a radiation sensitive acid generator which generates an acid on being exposed to radiation. A chemical reaction, such as a change in polarity, cleavage of a chemical bond, or a cross-linking reaction is caused to occur in the resist coating by the catalytic action of the acid produced. This causes the solubility of the irradiated parts in a developing solution to change, thereby allowing a pattern to be produced in the resist coating.
Given as examples of conventional chemically amplified resists which exhibit relatively excellent resist performance are a resin containing an alkali-soluble resin in which the groups exhibiting affinity with an alkali are protected by a t-butyl ester group or t-butoxy carbonyl group (Japanese Patent Publication No. 27660/1990); a resin containing an alkali-soluble resin in which the groups exhibiting affinity with an alkali are protected by a silyl group (Japanese Patent Publication No. 44290/1991); a resin containing a (meth)acrylic acid component (Japanese Patent Publication No. 39665/1992), a resin containing an alkali-soluble resin in which the groups exhibiting affinity with an alkali are protected by a ketal group (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 140666/1995); and a resin containing an alkali-soluble resin in which the groups exhibiting affinity with an alkali are protected by an acetal group (Japanese Patent Applications Laid-open No. 161436/1990 and No. 249682/1993).
However, it has been pointed out that all of these chemically amplified resists have peculiar problems which makes their commercial application difficult.
One serious problem is a situation where the line width of a resist pattern changes or the resist pattern is deformed into the form of a character "T" according to a post exposure delay (hereinafter abbreviated as "PED"), which is the period of time before the resist is baked (post baking) after irradiation.
In addition to these problems, there are problems such as fluctuation in resolution by PED, large dependency on the bake temperature, insufficient process stability, and the like. Further improvement in the overall characteristics of the chemically amplified resists is therefore strongly desired.
Among the above-described chemically amplified resists a positive tone resist containing a copolymer of hydroxystyrene and t-butyl acrylate as a resin component (hereinafter referred to as Type 1) and a positive tone resist containing a resin component with phenolic hydroxyl groups in poly(hydroxystyrene) protected with a ketal group or acetal group (hereinafter referred to as Type 2) are reported to have the above various problems only to a relatively small extent.
However, the Type 1 resist is easily affected by a standing wave because this resist contains a large amount of acrylic components having a small absorption coefficient at a wavelength of 248 nm, which gives rise to an impaired pattern configuration. The Type 1 resist also exhibits only poor resolution. The Type 2 resist, on the other hand, exhibits only poor heat resistance, giving rise to pattern deformation due to heat. In the situation where demand for miniaturization increases, these resists cannot satisfy all requirements, such as high resolution, excellent heat resistance, and the like, at the same time.
In view of this situation, the present invention has been completed as a result of detailed studies relating to resin components comprising chemically amplified resists. Specifically, an object of the present invention is to provide a radiation sensitive resin composition useful as a chemically amplified positive tone resist, which is sensitive to various types of radiation and which exhibits high resolution, superb capability of producing superior pattern forms, and excellent resistance to PED, higher process stability, is affected by a standing wave only to a minimum extent, and possesses prominent heat resistance.


Provided is an image reading apparatus that can inhibit occurrence of a bright spot line image due to microstructures of a light guide. An image reading apparatus satisfies: 45−φ≦θ≦φ−ω/n (0≦ω≦ωmax); and 45−φ≦θ≦φ (−ωmax≦ω≦0), where θ is an angle (deg.) between a surface of original and a reflecting surface of a microstructure reflection surface of a light guide, ω is a half angle of view (deg.) of an imaging forming lens, ωmax (ωmax>0) is a maximum value (deg.) of the half angle of view of the imaging forming lens on an LED light source side with respect to a reading optical axis of the imaging lens, −ωmax is a maximum value (deg.) of the half angle of view of the imaging lens on a side opposite to the LED light source with respect to the reading optical axis, n is a refractive index of the light guide, and φ=sin−1(1/n).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus. More particularly, the present invention is suitable for an image reading apparatus such as an image scanner, a copying machine, a facsimile machine, or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an image reading apparatus configured to illuminate a surface of original to read an image thereon by a line sequential system, an illuminating device using a light emitting diode (LED) as a light source is hitherto used. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-190962 discloses an illuminating device of an edge lit type in which an LED is provided at an edge in a longitudinal direction of a light guide and a light flux is reflected in the light guide to be guided to an original. Further, in recent years, a structure is known in which, in order to realize higher quality of an image read by an image reading apparatus, a reduction optical system having a deep depth of field is adopted to enhance light collecting efficiency in a section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the light guide.
However, when a reduction optical system is applied to the structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-190962, a light flux that is regularly reflected by the surface of original is collected on a sensor through the reduction optical system, and a bright spot appears in a read image.


A mailing and response envelope for conveying an item from a sender to a recipient and back is disclosed. The envelope comprises a base panel, a sender address panel, and a recipient address panel. The sender address panel is affixed to the base panel by an adhesive region. The sender address panel and adhesive region define a pocket sized to accept an item. The adhesive region extends laterally on the base panel in an amount selected to ensure that a postal cancellation is not applied to an area overlying the item. The recipient address panel is joined to the base panel by a detachable joint. In this configuration, a fragile item may be conveyed from the sender to the recipient and from the recipient back to the sender without damage to the item.

The approaches described in this section could be pursued, but are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Combination envelopes that can carry an item from a sender to a recipient, and back to the sender, are used in several business contexts. For example, in the context of invoicing and payment, multiple-folded envelopes have been used in which an invoice is affixed by a perforation to a reply envelope. The invoice is folded over and sealed to form a closed sending envelope, and an adhesive strip is provided adjacent to the reply envelope. When the customer receives such an envelope or "piece," the customer opens the piece, detaches the invoice, inserts a check for payment in the reply envelope, affixes the adhesive strip, and dispatches the sealed reply envelope in the mail. The use of this past approach, however, has been limited to paper enclosures such as invoices and the like.
The development of the Digital Versatile Disc ("DVD") as a medium for carrying digital movie and video information has led to new rental business models that use postal mail for media transport. For example, Netflix, Inc., of Los Gatos, Calif., offers a DVD rental service in which a subscriber establishes an online "pick list" of DVD movies that the subscriber wishes to rent. When a selected one of the DVD movies on the pick list becomes available in inventory, Netflix mails the selected DVD movie to the subscriber. The subscriber views the DVD and returns it to Netflix by mail. When the DVD is received at Netflix, the subscriber is entitled to receive another available DVD from the pick list.
In this context, however, problems can be encountered as the DVD passes through the postal delivery system. The packaging used to convey the DVD from Netflix to the customer passes through high-speed automatic sorting equipment at postal facilities. Further, the packaging used to convey the DVD from the customer to Netflix passes through high-speed automatic cancellation equipment at postal facilities, during which a postal cancellation mark is applied to the packaging. Because DVDs are manufactured from relatively brittle plastic material, and because the cancellation marks are applied with considerable force, a percentage of DVDs passing through the postal system in this manner are subject to damage, breakage or mutilation.
Based on the foregoing, there is a clear need for a way to package a fragile or breakable item for transport in the postal system from one party to another party in a manner that protects the item from damage, breakage or mutilation.
Another problem in this context relates to convenience. Customers of rental approaches, such as the DVD approach described above, demand convenience. When an item is sent to the customer, the customer expects to receive some form of postpaid return packaging with the item. Sending the return packaging separately is not practical or convenient. Accordingly, in this field there is a need for a packaging system in which a sending package and a return package are provided concurrently.
Still another issue involves the cost of the postage that is incurred in such a rental approach. The average weight of an item such as a DVD in a protective sleeve is approximately 0.58 ounces. Favorable postage rates are achieved when the total weight of the DVD, its protective sleeve, a sending package, and a return package are less than one ounce. Thus, there is a need for a packaging approach that solves all the foregoing problems and has an average weight less than one ounce.
Still another issue involves the cost of the packaging materials that are incurred. For a for-profit business engaged in the foregoing rental business, having packaging materials that satisfy all the foregoing requirements and have minimum cost is most desirable. Thus, there is a need for a packaging approach that solves all the preceding problems in a way that offers minimal cost.

Mailing and response envelope and method of making the same


A combination cellular phone and personal defense system for providing a means of communication and a means of self-defense in one unit. The combination cellular phone and personal defense system includes a cellular telephone having a housing. The housing includes a keypad, a display, an ear piece, a speaker, and an antenna. The cellular telephone has a rechargeable battery disposed within the housing. One side wall of the housing has a recharge port extending inwardly thereof. A personal defense system is incorporated into the housing of the cellular telephone.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cellular phones and spray devices and more particularly pertains to a new combination cellular phone and personal defense system for providing a means of communication and a means of self-defense in one unit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of cellular phones and spray devices is known in the prior art. More specifically, cellular phones and spray devices heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,389 to Ang; U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,990 to Stevenson et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,422,656 to Allard et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,446,789 to Loy et al.; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 350,744 to Hino; and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 343,172 to Watanabe which are all incorporated by reference herein.
Other known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 4,186,851; U.S. Pat. No. 4,982,645; U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,301; U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,192; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,359.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new combination cellular phone and personal defense system. The inventive device includes a cellular telephone having a housing. The housing includes a keypad, a display, an ear piece, a speaker, and an antenna. The cellular telephone has a rechargeable battery disposed within the housing. One side wall of the housing has a recharge port extending inwardly thereof. A personal defense system is incorporated into the housing of the cellular telephone.
In these respects, the combination cellular phone and personal defense system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing a means of communication and a means of self-defense in one unit.

Combination cellular phone and personal defense system