The arrangement for continuous treatment of a textile product with steam includes one or more treatment chambers; a transporting device having a horizontal conveyor guided through the treatment chamber or chambers; a steam-tight housing surrounding the treatment chamber or chambers; at least one circulating device with at least one circulating fan arranged in the treatment chamber or chambers and nozzle boxes arranged above and below the horizontal conveyor for delivering superheated steam to the product web conveyed on the conveyor. The horizontal conveyor is a sieve band, preferably with an opening degree amounting to from 50 to 90%. A method of steam treatment is also described.

The present invention relates to a method for continuous treatment of a textile product web with steam for fixing a reactive dye on natural fibers.
It also relates to a device for continuous treatment of textile product web of this type.
For fixing of reactive dyes on natural fibers, such as cotton or cellulose, it is known to first dry the moist product web on which the reactive dye is applied, and subsequently to fix the reactive dye on the fibers of the product web. For this purpose a promoter, for example urea, is needed and admixed to the reactive dye. The promoter holds the reactive dye in solution during dyeing and evaporates during fixing. This is true both for application of reactive dye on the product web by dyeing and also by printing.
For fixing of the reactive dye applied by printing, it is known to treat the dried product web with saturated steam. A suitable device with a steam chamber is disclosed in the patent document EP 0607 762B. For reduction of the urea consumption, this device is provided with a premoisturizing chamber.
A reduction of the urea quantity is possible, as described in the German patent document DE 43 03 129 02, in that the printed and dried product is sprayed with water immediately before its entry in the rapid festoon ager. This fixing process in the rapid festoon ager requires an average steam treatment time of 10-15 minutes. The product size generally amounts to 80-490 m, whereby a product speed of 5 to 50 in/mm results. In the rapid festoon ager the fixing of the reactive dye is performed conventionally with saturated steam at substantially atmospheric pressure, or in other words in saturated steam atmosphere. Rapid festoon ager for a product size of at least 80 meter is not efficient for smaller product sizes (smaller meter lengths).
A further appropriate steamer is disclosed in the German patent document DE 23 10 195 02. This steamer has a treatment chamber and a transporting device with at least partially horizontal product guidance by means of a conveyor. The treatment chamber is formed as a downwardly open hood. Thereby the entrained air can fall from a downwardly open steam space, so that a pure steam atmosphere is always available. Fixing of a drying product web in this steam atmosphere, in which a purely saturated steam atmosphere is also provided, is not possible without urea. The disadvantage of this steamer is that, due to the above mentioned steam treatment time of 10 to 15 min with saturated steam atmosphere in continuous operation, only small product speeds can be reached. Higher product speeds are possible only with greater structural length of the steamer with correspondingly higher investments and operation costs. The steam also is not efficiently usable when smaller quantities are to be dyed.
A further disadvantage of the above mentioned method is that the product web after application of reactive dye soluble in water is first dried and subsequently the reactive dye is fixed on the fibers. The both treatment stages of drying and fixing require two treatment devices. During pressing, conventionally for drying a pressing chamber and for fixing the above mentioned steam device are utilized.
In a special pressing method which is disclosed in the German patent document DE 196 33 101 the product web is moisturized, wet pressed and in wet condition evaporated without intermediate drying. The steaming is performed in a saturated steam atmosphere during 1.0-20 min at 96-105° C. Also, in this method during use of a reactive dye for printing of cotton, urea in conventional quantity is utilized.
A further special pressing method in which the product web is first moisturized, the wet product web is printed and subsequently an evaporation-thermosol fixation process is performed, it is disclosed in the patent document WO96/28604. The evaporation-thermosol fixation process takes place with saturated steam at temperatures of 90, 150 and 170° C. It requires a pressure-tight fixing device which conventionally is suitable only for a discontinuous operation.

Method of and device for continuous treatment of a textile product web with steam for fixing reactive dye on natural fibers


The present invention relates to improved autologous T cell vaccines and improved methods for their production. The invention is also directed to methods for treating autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis or rheumatoid arthritis using autologous T cell vaccines. The invention is further directed to the diagnosis of T cell associated diseases.

Intercellular recognition complexes formed by T cell receptors (TCR) on cytotoxic T lymphocytes or T helper cells and MHC/peptide complexes on antigen presenting cells (APC) are a common recognition component in a diverse set of cell-cell encounters that activate T cells both during the development of the repertoire of T cells within an individual organism (positive selection; negative selection; peripheral survival) and during the control (T helper) and effector stages (T killer) of an adaptive immune response.
In the adaptive immune response, antigens are recognized by hypervariable molecules, such as antibodies or TCRs, which are expressed with sufficiently diverse structures to be able to recognize any antigen. Antibodies can bind to any part of the surface of an antigen. TCRs, however, are restricted to binding to short peptides bound to class I or class II molecules of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) on the surface of APCs. TCR recognition of a peptide/MHC complex triggers activation (clonal expansion) of the T cell.
TCRs are heterodimers composed of two chains which can be αβ (alpha-beta) or γδ (gamma-delta). The structure of TCRs is very similar to that of immunoglobulins (Ig). Each chain has two extracellular domains, which are immunoglobulin folds. The amino-terminal domain is highly variable and called the variable (V) domain. The domain closest to the membrane is the constant (C) domain. These two domains are analogous to those of immunoglobulins, and resemble Fab fragments. The V domain of each chain has three complementarity determining regions (CDR). Proximal to the membrane, each TCR chain has a short connecting sequence with a cysteine residue that forms a disulfide bond between both chains.
Genes encoding αβ and γδ heterodimers are only expressed in the T-cell lineage. The four TCR loci (α, β, γ and δ) have a germ-line organization very similar to that of Ig. α and γ chains are produced by rearrangements of V and J segments whereas β and δ chains are produced by rearrangements of V, D, and J segments. The gene segments for TCR chains are located on different chromosomes, except the δ-chain gene segments that are between the V and J gene segments of the α chain. The location of δ-chain gene segments has a significance: a productive rearrangement of α-chain gene segments deletes C genes of the δ-chain, so that in a given cell the αβ heterodimer cannot be co-expressed with the γδ receptor.
In mice, there are about 100 Vα and 50 Jα genes segments and only one Cα segment. The δ-chain gene family has about 10 V, 2 D, and 2 J gene segments. The β-chain gene family has 20-30 V segments and two identical repeats containing 1 Dβ, 6 Jβ and 1 Cβ. Finally, the γ-chain gene family contains 7 V and 3 different J-C repeats. In humans the organization is similar to that of mice, but the number of segments varies.
The rearrangements of gene segments in α and β chains is similar to that of Igs. The α chain, like the light chain of Ig is encoded by V, J, and C gene segments. The β chain, like the heavy chain of Ig, is encoded by V, D, and J gene segments. Rearrangements of α chain gene segments result in VJ joining and rearrangements of β chain result in VDJ joining. After transcription of rearranged genes, RNA processing, and translation, the α and β chains are expressed linked by a disulfide bond in the membrane of T cells.
TCR gene segments are flanked by recognition signal sequences (RSS) containing a heptamer and a nonamer with an intervening sequence of either 12 nucleotides (one turn) or 23 nucleotides (two turn). As in Igs, enzymes encoded by recombination-activating genes (RAG-1 and RAG-2) are responsible for the recombination processes. RAG1/2 recognize the RSS and join V-J and V-D-J segments in the same manner as in Ig rearrangements. Briefly, these enzymes cut one DNA strand between the gene segment and the RSS and catalyze the formation of a hairpin in the coding sequence. The signal sequence is subsequently excised.
The combinatorial joining of V and I segments in α chains and V, D and J segments in β chains produces a large number of possible molecules, thereby creating a diversity of TCRs. Diversity is also achieved in TCRs by alternative joining of gene segments. In contrast to Ig, β and δ gene segments can be joined in alternative ways. RSS flanking gene segments in β and δ gene segments can generate VJ and VDJ in the β chain, and VJ, VDJ, and VDDJ on the δ chain. As in the case of Ig, diversity is also produced by variability in the joining of gene segments.
Hypervariable loops of the TCR known as complementarity determining regions (CDRs) recognize the composite surface made from a MHC molecule and a bound peptide. The CDR2 loops of α and β contact only the MHC molecule on the surface of APC, while the CDR1 and CDR3 loops contact both the peptide and MHC molecule. Compared with Ig, TCRs have more limited diversity in the CDR1 and CDR2. However, diversity of the CDR3 loops in TCRs is higher than that of Ig, because TCRs can join more than one D segment leading to augmented junctional diversity.
The pathogenesis of a number of autoimmune diseases is believed to be caused by autoimmune T cell responses to self-antigens present in the organism. Not all autoreactive T cells are deleted in the thymus, in contradiction with the clonal selection paradigm. Those T cells with TCRs for a broad spectrum of self-antigens represent part of the normal T-cell repertoire and naturally circulate in the periphery. It is unclear why autoreactive T cells are allowed, during their evolution, to undergo differentiation in the thymus and are accommodated in the periphery. While their physiological role is not understood, these autoreactive T cells, when activated, present a potential risk in the induction of autoimmune pathologies. Autoreactive T cells can also be isolated from normal individuals without the consequences of autoimmune diseases. It has been established that antigen recognition of autoreactivity by itself is not sufficient to mediate the autodestructive process. One of the prerequisites for autoreactive T cells to be pathogenic is that they must be activated.
Autoreactive T cells are implicated in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The pathogenesis of autoreactive T cells in MS is generally held to arise from T cell responses to myelin antigens, in particular myelin basic protein (MBP). MBP-reactive T cells are found to undergo in vivo activation, and occur at a higher precursor frequency in blood and cerebrospinal fluid in patients with MS as opposed to control individuals. These MBP-reactive T cells produce TH1 cytokines, e.g. IL-2, TNFα, and γ-interferon (IFNγ), which facilitate migration of inflammatory cells into the central nervous system and exacerbate myelin-destructive inflammatory responses in MS.
Myelin-reactive T cells have also been shown to be involved in the pathogenesis of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in animals, which resembles MS. EAE can be induced actively in susceptible animals by injecting myelin proteins emulsified in an adjuvant or passively by injecting myelin-reactive T-cell lines and clones derived from myelin-sensitized animals. When activated in vitro, very small numbers of myelin-reactive T cells are required to induce EAE, while 100-fold more resting T cells with the same reactivity are incapable of mediating EAE.
EAE has been shown to be prevented and also treated by vaccination with inactivated myelin-reactive T cells, a procedure called T-cell vaccination (Ben-Nun et al., Nature, 1981; 292: 60-61). T-cell vaccination induces regulatory immune responses comprised of anti-idiotypic T cells and anti-ergotypic T cells, which lead to the depletion of myelin-reactive T cells. By depleting myelin-reactive T cells, therapeutic effects are observed in EAE and other experimental autoimmune disease models (Lider et al., Science, 1988; 239:820-822; Lohse et al., Science, 1989; 244: 820-822).
Due to the success in autoimmune disease models, T cell vaccination has recently advanced to clinical trials in patients with MS. Based on the results in experimental models such as EAE, it is believed that depletion of autoreactive T cells may improve the clinical course of MS and other autoimmune diseases.
In a pilot clinical trial, vaccination with irradiated autologous MBP-reactive T cell clones elicited CD8+ cytolytic T cell responses that specifically recognized and lysed circulating MBP-reactive T cells (Zhang et al., Science, 1993; 261: 1451-1454, Medaer et al., Lancet 1995: 346:807-808). Three subcutaneous inoculations with irradiated MBP-reactive T cell clones resulted in the depletion of circulating MBP-reactive T cells in patients with MS.
In a preliminary clinical trial, circulating MBP-reactive T cells were depleted in relapsing remitting MS patients and secondary progressive MS patients (Zhang et al., J Neurol., 2002; 249:212-8), by vaccinating the patients with three subcutaneous injections of irradiated autologous MBP-reactive T cells. T cell vaccination was beneficial to each group of patients as measured by rate of relapse, expanded disability scale score and MRI lesion activity. However, there was a trend for an accelerated progression after about twelve months following the last injection. The significance of the apparent accelerated progression is unknown, but may be associated with a gradual decline of the immunity induced by T cell vaccination against MBP-reactive T cells. In approximately 10-12% of the immunized patients, MBP-reactive T cells reappeared at about the same time as the accelerated progression. In some cases, the reappearing MBP-reactive T cells originated from different clonal populations that were not detected before vaccination, suggesting that MBP-reactive T cells may undergo clonal shift or epitope spreading. Clonal shift of MBP-reactive T cells has been observed in previous studies (Zhang et al. 1995) and may be associated with the on-going disease process.
Although T cell vaccination has been demonstrated to be effective for depleting myelin-reactive T cells and potentially beneficial for MS patients, there are several problems with the treatment. T cell vaccine treatment for each patient must be individualized because the T cell receptors of myelin-reactive T cells are highly diverse and vary between different MS patients (Vandevyver et al., Eur. J. Immunol., 1995; 25:958-968, Wucherpfennig et al., J. Immunol., 1994; 152:5581-5592, Hong et al., J. Immunol., 1999; 163:3530-3538).
In addition to being individualized for each patient, up to 8 weeks is required to produce a given T cell vaccine using current procedures. Production of a T cell vaccine begins with isolating mononuclear cells from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSFMCs) or peripheral blood (PBMCs) of a patient. The isolated mononuclear cells are then cultured with myelin peptides for 7-10 days to activate myelin-reactive T cells. Cultures are then tested for specific proliferation to myelin peptides by measuring [3H]-thymidine incorporation in the presence of myelin peptides over a period of 3 days. Cultures testing positive for specific proliferation to myelin peptides are then serially diluted to obtain clonal T cell lines or directly expanded. The cells are then cultured up to 6-8 weeks to expand the T cells. When the final T cell vaccine product is clonal, the T cells are homogenous with a single pattern of Vβ-Dβ-Jβ gene usage. Usually, three to six of the clonal cell lines are combined to produce a heterogeneous formulation with multiple patterns of Vβ-Dβ-Jβ gene usage. When the final T cell vaccine product is produced by direct expansion, the T cells are heterogeneous with more than one pattern of Vβ-Dβ-Jβ gene usage.
The individualized nature of T cell vaccination and the prolonged cell culture needed for production of each vaccine make treatment expensive and labor intensive under current methodologies. The extended time required for cell culture also creates a significant risk of contamination. Finally, the likelihood of clonal shift or epitope spreading of myelin-reactive T cells may require the subsequent production of a T cell vaccine for each patient with a different pattern of Vβ-Dβ-Jβ gene usage.
Therefore, there exists a need to develop improved methods of isolating T cells with specificity for antigens, such as MBP, that may be used to produce T cell vaccines for the treatment of patients with T cell-mediated diseases such as MS. There also exists a need to develop improved methods for producing T cell vaccines with a heterogeneous pattern of Vβ-Dβ-Jβ gene usage to account for clonal shift of autoreactive T cells.


A floor plan evaluation method by which a floor plan can be quantitatively evaluated. The floor plan evaluation method includes first extracting a plurality of specified elements, which are specified in advance from data on a floor plan which is made automatically by, e.g., a floor planner, second obtaining an individual evaluation value on each of a plurality of individual evaluation items on the basis of the plurality of specified elements extracted in the first step, and third calculating an integrated evaluation value on the floor plan on the basis of a plurality of individual evaluation values obtained in the second step. Then, a plurality of integrated evaluation values obtained by executing the first to third operations for a plurality of floor plans are compared with one another to relatively evaluate the plurality of floor plans.

Conventionally, after making a floor plan manually or automatically and performing detailed placement and routing on the basis of the floor plan which is made thus, it is checked if there is some problem of timing, degree of congestion, or the like. As the result of check, if there is some problem, the floor plan is corrected manually.
The background-art techniques on a floor planning device and a floor planning method are disclosed in, e.g., the following Patent Documents 1 and 2.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Gazette No. 2004-13432
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Gazette No. 2004-334565
Now, there is no method of quantitatively evaluating a floor plan which is made. Therefore, even if it is intended to make a rough evaluation to check whether the floor plan is good or not, it is necessary to make a timing analysis or the like after performing detailed placement and routing and this disadvantageously requires much time to make an evaluation.
Further, as the result of evaluation, if it is found that the floor plan needs to be corrected, a designer has to find the problem by trial and error to correct the floor plan and this disadvantageously reduces efficiency.

Floor plan evaluating method, floor plan correcting method, program, floor plan evaluating device, and floor plan creating device


A seat and desk assembly has a seat integrated with a desk by a interconnecting base and floor. One or both of the seat or desk can be disconnected from the assembly and used independently. Removable panels for the desk can be used to display information and hold replaceable placards for various purposes. The height of the seat and desk can be adjusted on the assembly, and the bottom rest of the seat can be pivoted up against the back to allow a user to stand on the floor as a standing platform with a lumbar support curve positioned for leaning support of the low-back while standing. The depth of the seat can also be adjusted relative to the desk to provide additional room for standing. Additionally, the tabletop of the desk may be able to slide fore-aft relative to the seated user.

Overall goals for an educational setting include increasing students' attention, improving their overall learning, and enhancing their physical activity. To meet these goals, it can be desirable to have student desks that are aesthetically pleasing, such as the ornamental designs disclosed in my U.S. Design Pats. D649,368 entitled "Student Desk with Seat" and D649,369 entitled "Student Desk with Stool," which are both incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
As any teacher can appreciate, however, students can be very active in the classroom, and it is equally desirable to have desks and seats that can suit students' active needs. To that end, ergonomics, adjustability, versatility, and other functional and structural features can be important in meeting educational goals and in making student desks more useful in an educational setting.


A valve train for the variable actuation of an inlet valve and an outlet valve of a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine, having a first operative connection between a valve actuating device and the inlet valve and a second operative connection between the valve actuating device and the outlet valve. The first operative connection and the second operative connection are assigned an interrupting element which is set up to temporarily interrupt the operative connections. The first operative connection and the second operative connection are connected to the same interrupting element in such a way that the first operative connection and the second operative connection can be interrupted temporarily by way of the interrupting element.

The invention relates to a valve train for the variable actuation of an inlet valve and an outlet valve of a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine, and to an internal combustion engine having a valve train of this type.
In the case of a valve train of this type, a first operative connection is configured between a valve-actuating device and the inlet valve, wherein a second operative connection is configured between the valve-actuating device and the outlet valve. At least the first operative connection is assigned an interrupting element which is configured to temporarily interrupt the first operative connection. The second operative connection can also be assigned an interrupting element which is configured to temporarily interrupt the second operative connection. Valve trains of this type, which are realized by temporary interruptions to the operative connection, are known under the key word "lost-motion". A lost-motion valve train can be provided on the inlet side, or else on the inlet side and on the outlet side. In the case of known configurations in which both the first operative connection and the second operative connection can be temporarily interrupted, each of the operative connections is in each case assigned an interrupting element, thus the first operative connection is assigned a first interrupting element, and the second operative connection is assigned a second interrupting element which is different from the first interrupting element. However, this configuration is expensive and, especially for construction space reasons, is difficult to integrate into an existing internal combustion engine. In particular, the requirement for space here is very large because of the two separate interrupting elements.

Valve train for the variable actuation of an inlet valve and an outlet valve, and internal combustion engine having a valve train of this type


A system and method for adjusting wheel-end tapered roller bearing preload force on an axle spindle with a diameter, a longitudinal groove or flat, and a thread pattern to receive an adjustment nut, having an inner washer, an inner adjustment nut, an outer washer with first detent features and an outer adjustment nut with second detent features. The first and second detent features interact so as to define at least one detent position between the outer washer and the outer adjustment nut for adjusting the preload force.

Endplay
For many years, tapered roller bearing adjustment consisted of mounting a hub, two tapered roller bearings, two washers, and an oil seal onto the axle spindle to be retained with a spindle nut. The assembly was adjusted by rotating the spindle nut to achieve the condition known as "desired endplay." This term describes the amount of lateral movement of the hub assembly with respect to the axle spindle resulting from a measure of looseness attributable to the established position of the spindle nut. This movement has been measured and expressed by the number of thousandths on an inch (0.001″). Typically the acceptable range of endplay has been on the order of 0.001″ to 0.005″.
Preload
The term "preload" was adopted by the roller bearing industry to identify the pounds of force applied against the bearings after the spindle nut had been tightened to the extent endplay was no longer discernible. Unfortunately, it was not possible to measure the amount of preload force that occurs within the wheel-end assembly unless some form of internal sensor was placed into appropriate contact with either of the tapered roller bearings. Although this has been done on an experimental basis, it is not feasible for vehicles in highway operations due to excessive cost.
Ever since the U. S. Interstate Highway System came into being in 1956, commercial freight hauling trailers evolved from an age when the 35-foot trailer was common and its capacity was limited to gross weight limitations dictated by the state regulatory agencies. By 1982 the allowable length increased to 48 feet on the interstate and intrastate highways. Today, the allowable length of the trailer is 53 feet. The total weight allowance on each axle increased and the number of axles permissible on each trailer has also increased.
Another significant factor that affects trailer performance is the speed limit that has increased from an average of 40 miles per hour in 1956 to 75 miles per hour on many interstate routes. This resulted in an increase in the hours of daily operational service that has almost doubled. Stress and strain on all axle components increased due to the heightened intensity of tractor/trailer operations.
Another possible factor that imposes an increased operational demand is the fact there has not been any significant change in the design of tapered roller bearings in recent years. The yearly number of fatal accidents due to wheel separation accidents increased significantly since 1982. This occurred because of longer exposure to the more demanding level of performance now imposed on the vehicles than ever before. This new concept for enhanced reliability of tapered roller bearing systems was initially intended for light capacity utility and boat trailer axles on highway vehicles. However, its application by the commercial freight sector of the industry may provide a potential for improved highway safety in the future. Clearly, there is a need for an improved system and method to overcome the limitations and enhance the reliability of the existing solutions.

System and method to precisely adjust tapered roller bearings using a four-piece jam nut configuration


A dual polarized cross notch array employing a positioner for locating and grounding metallized portions of unrestrained element ends with respect to metallized restrained element ends. The positioner is a planar member having spaced rows and slots in intersecting rows and columns. Conductive tabs are formed adjacent to the slots at the intersections of the rows and columns corresponding to intersections of the element ends. The conductive tabs receive corresponding portions of the intersecting element ends in secure mechanical engagement and electrical contact. The positioner maintains the polarized elements rigidly in orthogonal configuration. In alternative embodiment employs conductive members preferably formed of tape at the inside corners of the array. Improved radiator elements and a positioner for preconfiguring the array is also disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to dual polarized cross notch arrays and in particular the invention is concerned with antenna elements and a positioner and electrical contacts for locating and grounding metallized portions of unrestrained element ends with respect to the restrained element ends.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Dual polarized cross notch arrays are known. FIG. 1 shows one such array 10 which is fabricated by forming a plurality of sets of orthogonal antenna elements 12 and 16 respectively disposed on substrates 14 and 18. The first set of elements 12, such as shown in FIG. 2, is etched from a metallized layer 13 on each one of a first set of substrates 14. A similar set of elements 16, shown in FIG. 3, is formed from an etched metallized layer 15 on each one of a second set of substrates 18. Respective front and rear slots 17 and 19 extending from corresponding front and rear marginal edges 21 and 22 are formed in substrates 14 and 18 intermediate to the elements 12 and 16 in evenly spaced parallel rows. The front marginal edges 21 are unrestrained as hereinafter described. When the respective front and rear slots 17 and 19 are mated, the set of substrates 14 and 18 are arranged into orthogonal array 10 of elements having intersections 27 resulting in a so called egg crate configuration (FIG. 4). The substrates 14 and 18 of the array 10 intersect resulting in four inside corners 32 and open spaces 23. The radiator elements 12 and 16 are between the intersections and face outwardly from a planar front end 24 of the structure. The front slots 17 in the first set of substrates 14 result in separate unrestrained free ends 25 of the elements 12 at the front marginal edge 21 of the substrate 14. The elements 16 in the rear slotted substrate 18 have restrained free ends 26 at the front edge 20. The free ends 25 of the unrestrained elements 12 can thus become misaligned when the substrates 14 and 18 are assembled which can adversely upset the symmetry of the array 10. Also, continuity of the metallized layer 13 forming the ground plane between the elements 12 is broken by the front slots 17 which can cause radiation of unwanted modes.
FIG. 4 shows an ideal rectangularly aligned and symmetrical array 28 of restrained and unrestrained elements 12 and 16 looking in from the radiating side. The row spacing S.sub.r and column spacing S.sub.c are all the same. The first substrates 14 are orthogonal with respect to the second substrates 18 so that the angle A=90.degree. .
FIG. 5 is a somewhat exaggera shows what may happen to the array 28' when the substrates 14 and 18 are not precisely orthogonal that is when the angle A does not equal 90.degree. and when the column spacing S.sub.c is not uniform. Free ends 25 of the unrestrained elements 12 are not uniformly spaced at the planar front end 24 and the array 28' is not symmetrical.
Some attempts have been made to accurately locate and ground the unrestrained elements 12 with the respect to the restrained elements 16. However, such attempts have not been entirely satisfactory because of the great deal of manual work required to align and secure the elements in a periodic array.
In addition to the physical constrains, individual radiator elements 12 and 16 have mechanical and electrical characteristics which require improvement. In particular, the radiators 12 and 16 employ stripline feeds 29 buried within the substrates 14 and 18 which require an impedance match without being too small to economically and reliably manufacture. Bandwidth improvements at the low end, for example 2 GLHz are also desired. Further enhancements in order to reduce VSWR and increase gain are also desired.

Positioner with corner contacts for cross notch array and improved radiator elements


An apparatus for processing thermoplastic synthetic plastic material to be recycled comprises a first receptacle (1) and a second receptacle (2) for the material to be processed. Within both receptacles (1, 2) tools (21) for mixing and heating the material circulate around a vertical axis each. The material reaches the second receptacle (2) which is connected to an evacuating means (9), from the first receptacle (1) through a connecting conduit (3). The first receptacle (1) has above it an intake opening (19) for the material to be processed, and the mouth of the connecting conduit (3) in the second receptacle (2) is disposed at a higher level than the tools (21) circulating in this receptacle (2). The material processed is carried off the second receptacle (2) through a discharge opening (49) by means of at least one screw (47), whereby this receptacle is vacuum-tightly closed. A sluice (6) is connected to the intake opening (19) of the first receptacle (1) that also is connected to an evacuating means (9). In both receptacles (1, 2) at least two tools (21) each circulate in different levels, disposed one upon the other, wherein the intake opening (19) in the first receptacle (1) is disposed higher than the uppermost tools (21) circulating in this receptacle (1). The discharge opening (49) of the second receptacle (2) is disposed at least substantially at the level of the lowermost tools (21) circulating in this receptacle (2). In each one of the two receptacles (1, 2) at least one temperature sensor (32) is provided for each plane of the circulating tools (21), which sensor is disposed higher than its associated plane.

The invention relates to an apparatus for processing thermoplastic synthetic plastic material that has to be recycled, comprising a first and a second receptacle for the material to be processed, in which receptacles tools circulating around vertical axes are provided for mixing and heating the material, wherein at least two tools each circulate in different levels one above the other and the material reaches the second receptacle that is connected to an evacuating means from the first receptacle through a connecting conduit, and wherein the first receptacle has above it an intake opening for the material to be processed, which intake opening is disposed at a higher level than the uppermost tools circulating in this receptacle and a discharge opening of the second receptacle is disposed at least substantially at the level of the lowermost tools circulating in this receptacle, and wherein the mouth of the connecting conduit in the second receptacle is disposed at a higher level than the tools circulating in this receptacle, and wherein the processed material is carried off the second receptacle through the discharge opening by means of at least one screw, whereby this receptacle is vacuum-tightly closed, and wherein the first receptacle is also connected to an evacuating means.
Such an apparatus is known from WO 01/21372 A1.
Another apparatus having also two receptacles through which the processed material runs in series is known from EP 632759 B1.
As a rule, such apparatus work sufficiently if the material to be processed does not make specific demands, in particular on sensitivity against air access and/or superheat and/or if a reduction of the molecule chain length should be avoided.

Apparatus for processing thermoplastic synthetic plastic material

Erema Engineering Recycling und Anlagen Gesellschaft m.b.H.


There is provided a tire information detector to promptly and accurately detect tire information such as pressure of a tire. The tire information detector includes a transponder including a resonator and disposed in a tire of a vehicle; and a controller disposed in a vehicle body, transmitting an excitation signal allowing the resonator to resonate to the transponder, receiving a resonance signal concerning a resonance frequency of the resonator, and calculating a measurement value in accordance with the resonance frequency of the resonator. The controller determines a frequency of the excitation signal based on the resonance frequency of the resonator obtained from previous communications with the transponder.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tire information detector, and more particularly, to a tire information detector for detecting tire information such as pressure of a tire used in a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art, a radio transmission apparatus transmitting a measurement value such as pressure of a tire used in a vehicle to a controller provided in a vehicle body in a radio manner, and for example, evaluating the measurement value for an alarm message to a driver has been proposed. An example of the related art is disclosed in Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication No. 3494440, FIGS. 3 and 5. In such a radio transmission apparatus, a controller as shown in FIG. 4 is provided in a vehicle body and a measured-value transmitter (transponder) as shown in FIG. 5 is provided in the tire.
As shown in FIG. 4, the controller includes a carrier wave oscillator G1 generating a carrier wave (f1) of about 2.4 GHz, a modulator MO1, and a oscillator (modulation wave oscillator) G2 outputting an excitation signal. The oscillator G2 outputs an excitation signal with a frequency (f2) close to a resonance frequency of a resonator of a transponder to the modulator MO1. The carrier wave from the carrier wave oscillator G1 is modulated in amplitude by the excitation signal from the oscillator G2, a high frequency signal of 2.4 GHz modulated in amplitude is amplified by an amplifier (not shown), and then the signal is emitted from an antenna A1.
The controller includes a switch S1 determining modulation or non-modulation in amplitude by the modulator MO1, a receiver E1 receiving the high frequency signal emitted from the transponder and calculating a measurement value (S1) such as the pressure of the tire, and a timer T1 controlling a switching time of the switch S1 and a state of the receiver E1. The modulation or non-modulation in amplitude of the carrier wave is determined by the timer T1, the high frequency signal modulated in amplitude is transmitted for a predetermined period, and then the modulation in amplitude stops at a point of time t1 to transmit the non-modulation carrier wave. The receiver E1 is activated at the point of time t2 within about 1 μs after the point of time t1 and receives the high frequency signal from the transponder through an antenna A4.
As shown in FIG. 5, the transponder includes low pass filters L11/C11, a diode D11 serving as modulator/demodulator, a capacitive pressure sensor (hereinafter, referred to as 'pressure sensor') SC11 in which capacitance varies depending on the pressure of the tire, and a resonator having a crystal resonator Q11 excited by the excitation signal of the high frequency signal from the controller. The excitation signal is extracted from the high frequency signal from the controller by the low pass filter L11/C11 and the high frequency signal is modulated by the diode D11. In this manner, the excitation signal of the oscillator G2 is extracted. Since the resonance frequency of the resonator is close to the frequency of the excitation signal of the oscillator G2, the resonator is excited by the excitation signal. The resonance signal of the resonance frequency is generated by the excitation. When the capacitance of the pressure sensor SC11 varies depending on the pressure of the tire, the resonance frequency of the resonator varies. Accordingly, the resonance frequency of the resonance signal is affected by the variation.
As described above, the controller transmits the high frequency signal modulated in amplitude, stops the modulation in amplitude, and transmits the non-modulation carrier wave even when the modulation in amplitude stops. The resonator continuously oscillates about 1 ms or more. For the reason, the non-modulation carrier wave from the controller is modulated in amplitude by the diode D11 based on the resonance signal of the resonator and is emitted from an antenna A3. The receiver E1 receives the high frequency signal modulated in amplitude through the antenna A4 and extracts the resonance signal through a demodulator (not shown), thereby calculating a measurement value S1 such as the pressure of the tire.
However, in the above-mentioned radio transmission apparatus, the resonance frequency of the resonator of the transponder sequentially varies and the crystal resonator Q11 is used as the resonator. Accordingly, it is possible to perform the communication in which the Q value of the resonator is greatly stabilized. On the contrary, since the band of the resonance frequency is narrow, a usable frequency band of the excitation signal becomes narrow. When the frequency of the excitation signal of the oscillator G2 is out of the resonance frequency of the resonator, a response of the resonator becomes small. As a result, it is difficult to accurately detect the tire information such as the pressure of the tire. The same problems occur even when the resonator is not the crystal resonator. However, since the crystal resonator has high Q value, the problems become prominent.
In order to cope with the above-mentioned problem, in the known radio transmission apparatus, the frequency of the excitation signal generated by the oscillator G2 is slightly varied in a predetermined range to be outputted to the transponder so as to approximate the frequency of the excitation signal to the resonance frequency of the resonator, and the response of the resonator is determined, thereby adjusting the frequency of the excitation signal. However, in this case, the time for adjusting the frequency of the excitation signal is required and it takes a long time until the tire information such as the pressure of the tire is detected.


Some embodiments include a device having a conductive material, a metal chalcogenide-containing material, and a region between the metal chalcogenide-containing material and the conductive material. The region contains a composition having a bandgap of at least about 3.5 electronvolts and a dielectric constant within a range of from about 1.8 to 25. Some embodiments include a device having a first electrode, a second electrode, and a metal chalcogenide-containing material between the first and second electrodes. The device also includes an electric-field-modifying region between the metal chalcogenide-containing material and one of the first and second electrodes. The electric-field-modifying region contains a composition having a bandgap of at least about 3.5 electronvolts having a low dielectric constant and a low conduction band offset relative to a workfunction of metal of the metal chalcogenide-containing material.

Memory is often incorporated into integrated circuitry. The memory may be used, for example, in computer systems for storing data.
Memory may be fabricated as an array of individual memory cells, with each memory cell being configured to retain or store memory in at least two different selectable states. In a binary system, the storage conditions are considered as either a "0" or a "1".
One type of memory cell comprises two electrically conductive electrodes having a programmable material received between them, and may be suitable for utilization in cross-point array architecture. Cross-point array architecture allows for a three-dimensional multilayer stacking of densely-packed memories (i.e., more storage bits per 4F2 footprint). The memory cells in large cross-point arrays can be any of PCM, CBRAM, ReRAM/RRAM, or STT-RAM/STT-MRAM, etc.
A difficulty in utilizing cross-point memory is that there can be a substantial leakage of current through non-selected cells, and such may adversely lead to disturb, wasted power, and errors during writing and retrieval of stored data from a large memory array. Accordingly, diodes or other select devices are commonly paired with memory cells at each cross-point to assist in control of current through the memory cells, such as to reduce the leakage from any half- and un-selected cells.
Some aspects described below pertain to integrated devices suitable for utilization as select devices.


A method for communicating with an automatic call distributor system agent includes communicating through a communications link with a first agent of a plurality of agents associated with an automatic call distributor (ACD) system. The plurality of agents are able to receive user calls distributed by the ACD system. The user calls comprise requests for service. The method includes receiving an audible state command from the first agent through the communications link and changing the state of the first agent with respect to the ACD system in response to the audible state command.

Automatic call distributors (ACDS) are specialized systems designed to match incoming requests for service, for example a telephone call or an e-mail, with a resource that is able to provide that service, for example a human call center agent. ACDs generally perform one or more of the following functions: (i) recognize and answer incoming calls; (ii) review database(s) for information on what to do with a particular call; (iii) using this information, identify an appropriate agent and queue the call, often times providing a prerecorded message; and (iv) connect the call to an agent as soon as the agent is available.
Agents in call centers utilizing ACD systems receive incoming customer calls routed to them by the ACD system, or they place call center related calls to customers. Agents may, at their desktop, change their state with their ACD system depending on their particular situation. Possible agent states may include "Ready," "Not Ready" and "At Work." An ACD system may make call routing decisions based on the various states of associated agents. For example, an ACD system may route calls to an agent in a Ready state and may avoid routing calls to any Not Ready agents until their state changes to a Ready state. Visually impaired agents may utilize special software, such as Job Access With Speech (JAWS) software, that analyzes changes in the desktop and conveys a status change to the agent either through prompts or a text-to-text speech (TTS) system.

Method and system for communicating with an automatic call distributor system agent


A baking oven comprises several oven modules disposed one after the other in the longitudinal direction, each of which comprising independently controllable heating devices and at least one supply duct for vapor and/or fresh air which leads to the hearths and at least one discharge duct for vapor and/or waste air which leads away from each hearth.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a baking oven, namely a so-called multistage baking oven.
2. Background Art
Multistage tunnel ovens are known, in which continuous hearths are formed in an elongated hearth body, a baking conveyor belt being disposed in each of the continuous hearths. These tunnel ovens can be designed for charge-wise, i.e. stepwise, or for continuous operation. Charging and discharging these ovens can be automated in order that required production quantities can be realized effectively. By means of these ovens, different types of dough products with a need for individual baking processes depending on the recipe can be baked simultaneously on the various baking conveyor belts only to a very restricted extent. Further, these ovens cannot be utilized efficiently for small quantities of special kinds of bread. Finally, these ovens are comparatively rigid in terms of performance, i.e. capacity.

Werner & Pfleiderer Lebensmitteltechnik GmbH


A dummy substrate (17) differs from a substrate to be processed in having a first guide (G1) for assisting centering, however, it can be handled as a substitute of the substrate to be processed. In a process chamber (2), a second guide (G2) is arranged to assist the dummy substrate (17) to center. To detect a transfer shift of a transfer mechanism (TRM), at first, the dummy substrate (17) is centered to a placing table (14) on the placing table (14) or at an upper position thereof by engagement of the first and the second guides (G1, G2). The dummy substrate (17) centered in such a manner is received by the transfer mechanism (TRM) and transferred to a detector (11). Then, a detection value of a decentering quantity and that in a decentering direction of the dummy substrate (17) are obtained by the detector (11), and a transfer shift of the transfer mechanism (TRM) is obtained based on the detection values.

In order to manufacture a semiconductor device, various processes such as a film forming process, an etching process, an oxidation process, a diffusion process, an annealing process, a quality modification process and the like are performed on a semiconductor wafer serving as a substrate to be processed. It is required in these processes to improve a throughput and a production yield along with a trend of a miniaturized and highly integrated semiconductor device. In view of the above, there is known a multi-chamber type semiconductor processing equipment capable of successively performing various processes without exposing a wafer to the atmosphere by coupling a plurality of processing chambers for performing a same process or different type processes to one another via a common transfer chamber.
A semiconductor processing equipment of such type has a transfer mechanism including a multi-joint arm transfer robot disposed in the transfer chamber. The transfer mechanism is used for transferring a semiconductor wafer serving as a substrate to be processed between a processing chamber and a receiving vessel (e.g., a receiving vessel having a lid, which is called a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod)) for accommodating therein a plurality of wafers in multi-levels. Before the transfer mechanism is used, a so-called teaching operation is performed by a control unit such as a computer or the like for controlling the transfer mechanism. By performing the teaching operation, important positions, e.g., a position for exchanging a wafer and the like, are stored in the control unit as position coordinates.
In order to improve processing uniformity, the transfer mechanism is required to transfer the wafer to the processing chamber with high accuracy. Accordingly, the high accuracy is required in the teaching operation as well as in repetition accuracy of the transfer mechanism and correction function for the transfer shift of the wafer. Along with such requirement, an automatic teaching system using a sensor is being practically used to cope with the limit of the teaching operation using the naked eye. As for the related art, Japanese Patent Laid-open Application No. 2000-127069 discloses therein a method for aligning a transfer position of a transfer system.

Method for detecting transfer shift of transfer mechanism and semiconductor processing equipment


A cushion for the seat of a chair, has at least two groups of inflatable tubes arranged in a side-by-side relationship and oriented in a direction corresponding to the front to back direction of the chair seat. The tubes of each group are inflatable together. The first group is a single tube or two or more adjacent tubes, and the other group is at least two spaced apart tubes arranged on opposite sides of the first group of tubes. The groups of tubes are inflatable sequentially. Symmetrical but periodically varying support for the user is thus provided.

1. Field of the invention
This invention relates to inflatable cushions, particularly cushions for wheelchairs, and to control devices for such cushions and other cellular inflatable human body supports.
2. Description of the prior art
It is well-known that people such as the disabled who are confined to a bed or a wheelchair for long periods of time frequently suffer from sores, which result from areas near the surface of the skin being deprived of blood due to pressure exerted on those areas by the bodily support under the person's body weight. In the context of beds it is known, for example from GB-A-1595417, to provide a mattress, comprising an array of hollow flexible tubes which are sequentially inflated and deflated, so that ripples travel along the length of the mattress. Thus, while a person's body is continuously supported by the mattress the actual regions of the body in contact with the mattress which bear the body weight change with time. This prevents any one area of the body being continuously deprived of blood and thus discourages the formation of sores.
There have been a number of attempts at applying a similar principle to seats for chairs and in particular wheelchairs, but up to now none has been particularly successful. The present inventors believe that in the context of a chair a rippling effect, as in the known mattress, is not suitable, because the support area for the body is smaller and a chair support demands a much higher degree of stability, i.e. it is important for the person to be always supported in the chair substantially vertically, without a tendency to tip in any one direction as the supporting areas on the body surface change. There is therefore a need for a cushion for a chair, which cushion continuously supports a person's body in a substantially vertical condition, with the regions of the cushion in contact with the body and thus bearing the body weight changing sequentially with time. It is one object of this invention to meet this need.
Mattresses having groups of inflatable cells and control systems for them are well known and are described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4193149 and U.S. Pat. No. 4711275. Because such mattresses are primarily for use by patients who are incapable of moving themselves or can move only with difficulty, their control systems are complex.
Someone in a chair, e.g. a wheelchair, however, may not require such an elaborate and fail-safe control system. Power requirement should be minimized, since mains supply is not available. It is another object of the present invention to provide an inflation and a control device which is simple yet effective and requires little power.


A portable, self-contained heating and cooling assembly comprising at least two compartments or alternately one compartment and a heat reservoir wherein the two compartments are specifically structured to concurrently hold containerized liquids, medical items or objects, foodstuffs, etc. Thermoelectric heat transfer technology is utilized to transfer heat energy between the two compartments by means of a thermoelectric device which, when electrically activated, serves to remove heat from one compartment and the object or substance therein and transfer such heat to the other compartment as well as the object or substance therein thereby serving to simultaneously cool the interior of one compartment and heat the interior of the other compartment. Operative modifications include the selective heating or cooling of a single object or substance within one compartment which may be interconnected in thermal contact with a second compartment or with the thermal reservoir.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a compact and portable device designed to heat and/or cool a variety of containerized liquids, food stuffs, medical devices, etc. The present invention is directed towards such a device which utilizes thermoelectric heat transfer technology wherein two or more objects or substances may be concurrently heated and cooled by transferring heat from one of the objects. (thereby cooling it) to another object (thereby heating it). Alternatively, the present invention may be utilized to independently heat or cool an object through the use of a heat reservoir to which heat may be transferred or from which heat may be removed.
2. Description of the Related Art
The portable heating or cooling of a variety of items including liquids, food stuffs, medical items, etc. has traditionally relied on systems that exchange thermal energy with the environment. This is particularly true of devices for heating or cooling containerized liquids such as baby formula in standard baby bottles. For newborn infants, baby formula is most readily accepted if it is close to body temperature as would be natural mother's milk. For older children, not yet weaned, cooled formulas are often in order depending upon the temperature of the environment. In today's society, parents are often on the go with their children. Hence, a portable means of either warming or cooling baby formula as well as other substances is a welcome convenience for many parents. Varying degrees of portability are demonstrated in known heating or cooling devices but none disclose a thermally-closed system that does not exchange thermal energy with the environment, which would essentially offer an ability to be stored anywhere without the problems associated with an external heat exchanging surface. Further, for devices having external heat exchanging surfaces, physical discomfort can arise from having to hold such a device. Condensation on cold surfaces can be problematic and external heat exchanging surfaces must be convecting as conducting thermal energy even when the device is stored.
A variety of substantially portable devices are known to be directed to the heating of baby bottles and the like. Such devices include a flexible heating pad that surrounds a baby bottle that can be powered by connecting an adaptor structure to an automobile cigarette lighter. Also known is a manually portable refrigerating and heating unit for cooling and/or heating a multiplicity of baby bottles that includes a temperature control facility. It is also known to provide a baby bottle or like container with electrical heating elements embedded within the wall thereof, with a thermostat controlling the current to the bottle or like container from an accompanying rechargeable battery system.
Generally speaking, conventional self-contained means of heating or cooling containerized liquids provide either limited duration performance or are inconvenient. An example of such a self-contained system includes the cooling of liquids in a baby bottle by means of a pre-sealed tube of frozen non-toxic liquid that is inserted into the baby bottle. Similarly, a cooling vessel for beverages includes inner and outer walls that form a refrigerant compartment that is filled with a chilled liquid for cooling of the beverage enclosed within the inner wall.
The obvious disadvantages present in devices of the type set forth above have resulted in attempts to develop more compact and efficient devices for heating and/or cooling a variety of objects and substances. Such attempts have involved the use of compact, and electrically-driven means of transferring heat. However, such devices are somewhat limited for use in applications involving limited heat capacity and small volumes. For example, one attempt involves a cooling or warming compartment that uses thermoelectric heat transport but requires a ventilation system to reduce cool or hot spots within the compartment. Similarly, another such known device involves a thermoelectric apparatus for heating or cooling food and drink containers which must be equipped with a blower/heat exchanger.
Based on the above, there is a need in the art for a heating and cooling device that transfers heat from one object to another object to effect concurrent cooling and heating of the objects, respectively. Any such heating and cooling device would preferably incorporate the use of thermoelectric heating and cooling facilities to transfer and/or pump heat from a first containerized substance to a second containerized substance. In addition, any such heating and cooling device would preferably be structured to achieve cooling and heating with little or no net heat flux exchange with the external environment, and further, would provide a compact, self-contained, continuous means of cooling and heating liquids which is not constrained by the humidity and temperature conditions of the external environment. By providing such a device which does not require heat exchange with the environment, the result would be a device that offers convenient portability, allowing the device to be stowed in luggage, to be carried on one's person, in a bag or pack, or to be hand-carried. Finally, when cooling liquids, it is especially important to provide a good thermal sink for removal of rejected heat. Therefore, it would be ideal to provide an invention which overcomes many of the disadvantages associated with known heating and cooling devices and which incorporates the use of a self-contained liquid heat sink in the form of the liquid filled container that is to be heated. Accordingly, the present invention is preferably structured to concurrently cool and heat separate liquid filled containers, and in general, to meet the needs which remain in the art.


A dilution cooled lithium reactor for producing hot hydrogen which in turn drives a power-generating device such as a turbine is disclosed. Within the reactor are injected heat-generating reactants such as liquid lithium and liquid oxygen. The reactants combine to heat hydrogen which in turn is filtered and delivered to a power-generating device such as a turbine.

With the advent of a space station with long-term human occupation as well as prospective extended duration spacecraft missions, the need for a simple and reliable yet powerful source of energy for consumption by a space station or spacecraft has been recognized.
Current energy sources employed to power existing space vehicles of the aforementioned variety include solar-powered apparatus as well as nuclear energy devices, all of which may be inherently hampered by insufficient energy production or dangers associated with radiation generated by the nuclear reactor assembly.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have available a device or apparatus for generating a clean reaction product which would find utility in powering a generating device, which device could provide necessary power in a space vehicle.
It is an object of the present invention to generate hot hydrogen to run a power-generating device of basic construction and reliability.
Another object of the present invention is a method of generating hot hydrogen in a reactor vessel utilizing a safe and efficient chemical reaction.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows.


A method of controlling the operation of a pressurised steam boiler (50) heated by a burner (20), which includes the steps of a) monitoring the level of water in the boiler (50), b) monitoring the pressure of steam in the boiler (50), c) monitoring the firing rate of the burner (20), and d) controlling the flow rate of water into the boiler (50) having regard to the signals resulting from a) and b) and, at least for some signal conditions, also having regard to signals resulting from c). The level of water is detected by a pair of capacitance probe assemblies (58A and 58B).

In a known arrangement of a pressurised steam boiler, water is fed into the boiler at a controlled rate and is heated in the boiler to convert the water to steam. The heat required to convert the water to steam is provided by a burner whose hot products of combustion are passed through ducts in the boiler and then exhausted. The steam boiler is controlled by a boiler control system, which receives information from sensors indicating inter alia the level of water in the boiler and the presence of steam in the boiler, and which controls the flow rate of water into the boiler as well as sending a control signal to a burner control system that controls the burner. The burner control system controls inter alia the flow of fuel and gas to the burner head in dependence upon a demand signal received from the boiler.
Pressurised steam boilers are potentially very hazardous because of the very high pressure that is maintained in the boiler and it is therefore essential for such boilers to have control systems that are extremely safe. One factor that is taken into account to ensure the safety of a system is the importance of maintaining the water level in the boiler within predetermined limits. The internationally recognised safety regime concerning adequate water level in pressurised steam boilers requires sensing arrangements to detect a first low water level ("first low") below the normal operating range of the boiler and also to detect a second low water level that is even lower than the first low water level. When the first low water level is detected, the boiler control system sends a signal to the burner control system causing the burner to be switched off. Provided the water level then rises back above the first low water level the boiler control system sends a further signal to the burner control system allowing the burner to restart. If, however, the water level continues to fall and reaches the second low water level, the boiler control system sends a further signal to the burner control system preventing it from restarting without manual intervention. The requirement for manual intervention is inconvenient, but is regarded as a necessary safety requirement.
The false triggering of either the first low or second low is costly. The effect of a false triggering at the first low is to turn off the burner; at best that may simply lead to less efficiency because the burner is switched completely off rather than simply being turned down to a lower firing rate; in a worst case, however, as will be explained below, the false triggering may lead to the burner being switched off at a time when the demand for heat in the boiler is especially high. False triggering at the second low is more damaging because it is likely to last longer given that the burner can be restarted only after manual intervention.
False triggering can occur without any fault in the equipment. In particular, it is not unusual for there to be a sudden demand for steam from a steam boiler; in that case there may be a significant drop in pressure within the boiler which can cause the water level in the boiler to rise (because of the small bubbles of compressed gas trapped within the water in the boiler). The reduction in pressure rightly leads to a signal passing from the boiler control system to the burner control system to increase the firing rate of the burner, while the increase in water level in the boiler causes the usual water flow into the boiler to be reduced or stopped. As the system then recovers and the pressure in the boiler rises, the water level in the boiler falls quickly and may well fall below the "first low" leading to the burner being turned off at a time when it should be operating, probably at full capacity. It is even possible that the fall in water level will reach the "second low" so that the burner remains off until an operator resets the system.
Safety considerations also have an impact on the techniques that are employed to measure the level of water in the boiler. Because of the importance of detecting the "first low" and the "second low", separate probes are used to detect each of the levels; whilst one capacitative probe may sometimes be provided to sense water levels within the normal operating range, respective conductive probes, which sense whether or not they are in the water, but give no further indication of water level, are provided to detect the "first low" and the "second low". Often other conductive probes are set at other levels so that those other levels can be detected in a similar way. Thus a large number of separate probes are provided. A capacitative probe is not regarded as sufficiently reliable for detecting the "first low" and the "second low" water levels. Particular concerns are that the signals from such probes are affected by temperature variations and may also be affected by stray electromagnetic radiation generated by devices in the vicinity of the probes.
A further problem when attempting to measure water levels in steam boilers is that whenever the water is boiling a certain amount of turbulence is present, making it difficult to measure the water level accurately.
Operators of pressurised steam boilers frequently purchase steam flow meters to measure the steam flows in the steam exit lines from each of the boilers. A frequent reason for installing such meters is for auditing purposes, to enable the amount of steam exported from the boiler to be compared to the amount of fuel used by the boiler. Such meters are, however, expensive.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Pressurized steam boilers and their control


The coach body construction comprises an upper structure having extruded profiles, which are connected detachably to one another by corner connectors and are made of an aluminum alloy, and a lower structure. The lower structure is composed of longitudinal and transverse supports which are made of an extruded aluminum alloy and are detachably connected to one another and to the upper structure by corner connectors. In interaction with the upper structure, it is of inherently sturdy construction. The corner connectors are, in particular, screw-on corner connectors.

The invention relates to a coach body construction for rail vehicles which comprise an upper structure having extruded profiles, which are connected detachably to one other by mechanical means and are made of an aluminum alloy, and a lower structure.
It is known and customary to design the lower structure of a coach body for rail vehicles as a welded steel construction having longitudinal and transverse supports and, by means of screw connections, to attach thereto an upper structure made of posts, upper flanges and, if need be, roof arches. Although the lower structure made of a welded steel construction is self-supporting per se, a part of the stability of the coach body construction can be taken over by a rigid upper construction. A coach body construction of this type for road and rail vehicles is disclosed, for example, in European Patent 0,031,306.
European Patent 0,186,625 describes a chassis for road vehicles, in particular made of an aluminum alloy, having longitudinal supports and transverse supports passing through said longitudinal supports, and an outer frame to receive floor planks extending in the longitudinal direction. The profiles are screwed to one another by means of corner pieces. The chassis must be designed to be self-supporting in itself, otherwise it could not be used as a loading ramp of road vehicles. However, this solution, conceived for a chassis for road vehicles cannot be transferred to rail vehicle construction because, in that case, different conditions prevail and there are different requirements.

Coach body construction for rail vehicles having extruded aluminum profiles with undercut nut-receiving grooves for ease of asssembly


A method of producing a confectionary product includes providing a chewy material and a candy material. The candy material includes a sweetener and is at least in part amorphous. The water activity of the chewy material is greater than the water activity of the candy material. The chewy material and the candy material are disposed adjacent to each other. Nucleating sites are created in the candy material. Water is allowed to migrate from the chewy material to the candy material. The amorphous candy material is allowed to crystallize at least in part.

Numerous coated confectionaries are available. Many confectionaries, such as M&M's or chewing gum balls, have a hard shell sugar coating. Some products, such as M&M's CRISPIES, have a hard center, with a chocolate covering followed by a hard shell coating. Other products include a chewy center with a hard candy shell. Thus confectionary products with multiple layers and coatings are known.
However, producing a product with a chewy center and a hard shell can cause processing difficulties, especially with controlling the crystallinity and moisture levels in the product. It is difficult to coat a soft center with a hard coating. Also, hard shells can be brittle and difficult to package without damaging the product or causing the hard shell to chip off or break.


A vision training device, useful for improving hand-eye coordination activities, takes the form of eyewear having two red colored, translucent lenses, each lens containing a clear target sight positioned and dimensioned to allow a trainee to focus the image of an object onto the foveal vision areas of his eyes through the apertures while simultaneously stimulating the rod vision of the eye by exposure to light in the red spectrum.

In many sports activities, such as golfing, basketball shooting, football passing, archery, shooting, bowling and billiard; it is of primary importance to maintain ones head motionless with the eyes being fixed upon a target.
It is known in the art to use sight apertures on eye glasses in an attempt to steady the head during a golf swing. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,228,696, to Hull, positions a target sight on each lens in a pair of glasses to assist in maintaining ones head motionless during a golf swing.

Method and apparatus for enhanced visual training


A process for heat treating a steel bar to produce a grinding rod having a softer core of at least 99% pearlite and having a hardness of less than 45 Rockwell C, an outer shell of martensite having a hardness of at least 50 Rockwell C and softer end portions having a hardness of less than 35 Rockwell C, where the softer end portions each having an engineered heat treated length less than 15 cm, comprises reheating a formed steel bar to above its austenitising temperature, transferring with minimal cooling the reheated bar to an open tubular quench vessel while securing the bar in the vessel to minimize bar warping in the vessel during quenching, introducing quench water into an inlet end of the vessel and passing the quench liquid along the vessel at high surface velocities exceeding 4 meters per second relative to bar surface to minimize thereby production of steam along the bar length and ensure uniform heat removal and removing quench water at an outlet end of the vessel, quenching the bar in the vessel for a period of time which provides a uniform annular layer for the hard outer shell of tempered martensite and the softer core of pearlite, and reheating each end portion of the bar in a furnace to elevate the end portion to above the austenitising temperature and air cooling each end portion to provide the engineered end portion hardness of less than 35 Rockwell C.

Various technologies are available for manufacturing grinding rods for use in grinding mills, such as in ore crushing, stone crushing and the like. Grinding rods are usually 3 to 6 meters in length depending upon the size of the grinding device and have diameters which usually range from 7 to 10 cm. It has been found that the useful life of a grinding rod may be improved if it has a hard outer shell usually of martensitic microstructure and relatively soft end portions which are substantially of pearlitic microstructure. The soft end portions minimize rod spalling and splitting thereof and reduce breakage and wear of the rod mill liners. A discussion of grinding rods having soft end portions may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,934 as well as the several other US patents discussed in the background of that US patent.
In an attempt to improve grinding rod longevity by way of heat treatment, the chemistry of the steel in the grinding rod may be modified such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,686. The modification of the chemistry in the steel of the grinding rod results in the rod core having a bainitic microstructure with less than 10% pearlite and a core hardness of at least about 40 Rockwell C, or 40 HRC. It is thought that making rods with the proper selection of molybdenum and chromium to provide the bainite core enhances the wear rate of the rod by nearly 20% over that of a conventional heat treated rod.
The rods, as made in accordance with either of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,589,934 and 4,840,686 are quenched after heating by passing the rod through a quench spray. The quenching of the rod is commenced inwardly of the leading end of the rod and the quench spray turned off short of the trailing end of the rod. It is thought that by not applying quench water spray to the leading end and trailing end of the rod, softer end portions are developed. Also as taught, the rod may have to pass through multiple quench zones in order to achieve the desired extent of quenching to ensure the formation of the harder martensitic shell. As is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,934, minor amounts of quench water travelling along the rod surface towards either the leading or trailing end portion may create a wash effect, thereby expediting cooling of the end portion resulting in the formation of end portions which can have a hardness greater than 30 and perhaps up to 45 or 50 HRC. To minimize this effect, the commencing of the quench water spray and terminating of the quench water spray are activated or deactivated a considerable distance from each end. A significant portion of the rod end is not treated resulting in a fairly large transition zone between the quench portion of the rod which has the martensitic structure and the untreated end portion of the rod which has the pearlitic structure. In practice, the softer end portions of the rod may extend upwards of 30 cm or more with a very gradual transition from the hard shell to the softer portion. This results in a grinding rod having a greater length of softer end portion with consequent increased wear.
In accordance with an aspect of this invention, a grinding rod is provided which overcomes the above problem in providing an engineered heat treated end portion of less than 15 cm and having a hardness of less than 35 Rockwell C.


A decorated floor panel having a core with a top surface and an opposite bottom surface; a decorative layer coupled to the top surface of the core, the decorative layer having a desired aesthetic appearance; and a wear layer coupled to and substantially covering the decorative layer for protecting the decorative layer. The wear layer has an exposed wear surface with depressions therein of a variable depth below the wear surface, the depressions being arranged to display a desired texture pattern. It is noted that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to ascertain quickly the subject matter of the technical disclosure. The abstract is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims pursuant to 37 C.F.R. § 1.72(b).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to flooring panels for use in commercial, industrial or residential environments. More particularly, this invention relates to flooring panels having an aesthetically pleasing appearance provided by texturing imparted to the surface of the panels. In certain embodiments, the texture is aligned in registration with a visible graphic design displayed by the panel to further enhance the aesthetic appearance of the flooring panel.
2. Background Art
Various laminates, including high pressure laminates and fiberboard core laminates, are commonly used in flooring applications. Fiberboard core laminates used to manufacture flooring products include a plurality of layers, including a fiberboard or organic composite core section, a decorative layer, and a hard and flat protective wear layer of resin-impregnated melamine material.
The wear layer of the laminate in such systems is typically clear, such that the aesthetic appearance, including any color and/or printed image of the decorative layer, is not obscured by the wear layer. Further, the top surface of the wear layer is typically flat, such that the flooring panel exhibits a two-dimensional appearance to the onlooker. Thus, while the decorative layer may exhibit an appearance that simulates "natural" flooring materials such as hardwood or ceramic tile, the typical laminate wear layer simply allows an unobstructed view of the laminate decorative layer, and does not add to or enhance the aesthetic properties of the flooring panel.
Some prior art laminate flooring systems have included barely-perceptible indentations imparted to the laminate wear layer to interrupt the aforementioned two-dimensional appearance. Those systems feature shallow indentations of a depth not exceeding 0.25 millimeters ("mm"). Further, the location of individual indentations or the "pattern" of indentations provided in prior art systems are unrelated and unlinked to the aesthetic image provided by the decorative laminate layer. Thus, any indentation pattern in prior art laminate wear layers is not related in any way to the selected aesthetic appearance of the decorative laminate layer.


A fuse for an electrical discharge reactor made up of a fuse apparatus (10) and a power supply shut down procedure. The fuse apparatus (10) has an end cap (12) that encloses a spring (30) and a rivet (13) or piercing end (14) that is electrically connected to an arcing tube (18), secured to a near end of a strain wire (20), a lower terminal (32) secured to a far end of the strain wire (20), and a contact (24) that is electrically connected to the lower terminal (32). Preferably, the arcing tube (18), strain wire (20), and lower terminal (32) are sheathed in a structure (16) that provides support and electrical insulation such as a quartz tube while ensuring protection of the fuse internal components from the corrosive environment. The power supply shut down procedure includes a synchonized power supply response that lowers the current limit (52) for a set duration to allow the fuse apparatus to clear (54), and then shuts off the current completely (56) for about one second to quench any sustained arcs prior to resuming operations (60).

a. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to methods and apparatuses for providing a fusible link for electrical discharge reactors, particularly dielectric barrier discharge reactors.
b. Description of the Related Art
Electrical discharge reactors are used for many purposes, including the production of ozone and ultraviolet light, and for the destruction of noxious substances in gaseous emissions. A dielectric barrier discharge ("DBD") reactor may comprise multiple tubes configured in an array similar to a tube and shell heat exchanger. DBD is synonymously known as silent discharge or non-thermal plasma discharge. In such a multi-tube DBD reactor, a high voltage electrode is centered within a ground tube creating an annulus or air gap between the electrode and ground tube. When the electrodes are energized, a barrier discharge is generated by the application of a voltage potential between a high voltage source through at least one dielectric barrier, including the air gap to the ground tube that is at ground potential.
In a reactor for destroying pollutants, gases containing pollutants are passed through this air gap and are oxidized by the discharge that creates oxygen and hydroxyl radicals. The ground tubes of such a DBD reactor also act as a heat exchanger since some of the energy generated by a barrier discharge is converted to heat and therefore can be dissipated through the ground tubes. For this intended application, DBD reactors normally operate at voltages up to about 60 kV AC peak-to-peak at a frequency between about 1.6 kHz and 2.4 kHz.
DBD reactors in industrial applications have a large number of electrodes and ground tubes so that they can treat all the fluid from an industrial process, for example, flue gas from the boiler of a fossil fueled power plant. A plurality of reactors may be used, and may be provided in modules to facilitate their manufacture and installation. All the electrodes of at least one module are preferably wired in parallel to a power supply to minimize the number of power supplies necessary. The preferred embodiment is a DBD reactor that multiple electrodes wired in parallel. The term "power supply" as used herein refers to a device that converts electricity found in standard industrial electrical systems to the voltage and frequency required to energize discharge reactor electrodes as well as provide various key operating control functions.
During normal reactor operation, dielectric failures can occur. These failures are generally the result of localized heating of the dielectric material, which in the preferred embodiment is fused silica, or quartz. Other materials having a high dielectric constant can be also used, which is readily appreciated by those having skill in the art. Since the dielectric strength of a material is temperature dependent, excessive heating of the dielectric can reduce the dielectric strength of the material to a point where the material can no longer stand off the voltage necessary to maintain a barrier discharge. This condition is known as thermal dielectric breakdown. The result of a dielectric breakdown is usually a puncture through the dielectric material which provides a direct electrical path to ground. This direct path to ground becomes the path of least resistance creating a short circuit, which results in all of the energy from the power supply being delivered to the failed electrode. The energy transferred to the short circuit can be sufficient to result in additional melting of the dielectric and/or puncture of the ground tube.
Prior to the use of the present invention, when a dielectric failure occurred, the power supply was required to be de-energized once the short circuit was detected by the power supply controller. This feature is typically built into the power supply controller to prevent damage to the power supply and/or reactor components. After a short circuit was detected, it was then necessary to bring the unit off line. Personnel would then lockout all energy sources, open up the reactor housing, test the air quality for suitability for human occupation, and search for the failed electrode. This necessary exercise usually resulted in at least a day of lost operations when required cool-down and heat-up cycles are taken into consideration.
Many industrial processes can use the benefits of electrical discharge reactors. However, many industrial processes require consistent, continuous operation. For example, de-energizing the DBD reactors for any length of time in a fossil fueled power plant would also require shutting down the boiler, resulting in a substantial loss of electricity generation revenue.
Electrical discharge reactors are often used in ozone generators. Ozone generators, which typically operate at 15 kV peak-to-peak, have used fuses to isolate a particular failed electrode tube. An example of such a fuse is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,293,775 that issued on Oct. 6, 1981, to Feuerstake et al. Feuerstake teaches, among other things, that prior art fuses sometimes blow when no tubes have failed. In addition, sometimes electrode tubes fail and none of the fuses blow. Feurerstake's solution was to add a resistance element in series with the fuse element. This may have been an acceptable solution for electrical discharge reactors operating at 15 kV peak-to-peak, but it has been found not to work in reactors that operate at much higher voltages such as 60 kV peak-to-peak. The problem is that the electrical resistance of the air breaks down, and an arc crosses the gap between the space once occupied by the fuse material.
Reactor fuses may have to operate in a corrosive environment that may tend to either prevent a fuse from blowing or causing a fuse to blow prematurely. This problem was addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,296,397 that issued on Oct. 20, 1981, to Sedberry. Sedberry's solutions were primarily applicable to ozone generators, because it is known that ozone can be corrosive. Sedberry's solutions were to use an ozone corrosion-resistant fuse wire, and to encapsulate the fuse in a closed, tubular housing. Sedberry also mentioned the added benefit that rigid insulator spacing, terminals, and fuse wire can be provided as a unitary structure. However, like Feuerstake, Sedberry discloses that ozonators operate at lower voltages than that used for pollution control, reciting a range between 6 kV peak-to-peak and 22 kV peak-to-peak. There is no mention of the suitability of his invention for other corrosive environments, including NOx, SO2, acids, and fine particles.
What is needed, therefore, is a fuse means to isolate an individual electrode from the power supply circuit that operates at high voltage to permit the remaining electrodes to operate unimpeded. With the use of such fuse means, electrode maintenance can be delayed until the reactor is taken off line for maintenance during a scheduled outage. It is also beneficial to ensure that the appearance of the fuse from a failed electrode be significantly different from that of an intact fuse in order to aid the maintenance personnel in locating and replacing the failed components. Therefore, it is advantageous if the fuse assembly is a unitary structure, a failed fuse assembly is easily discernible from intact fuse assemblies, and is unaffected by corrosive environments.


A hard mask structure is disclosed. The hard mask structure is used for manufacturing a deep trench of a super-junction device having a substrate and an epitaxial layer formed on the substrate. The hard mask structure comprises an ion barrier layer formed on the epitaxial layer for blocking ions from diffusing into the epitaxial layer, and a deposition layer formed on the ion barrier layer. Thereby, the deep trench of the super-junction device is formed by performing an etch process on the epitaxial layer via the hard mask structure. The hard mask structure can effectively prevent ions from diffusing into the epitaxial layer, so as to avoid unusual electrical property.

The Drain-Source ON Resistance (RDS(on)) of the conventional vertical metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) tends to become small and small. When the device is turned on, the RDS(on) is proportional to the power consumption of the device, so the power consumption of the MOSFET device can be reduced as the RDS(on) is reduced. The RDS(on) can be reduced by increasing the doping concentration. But sometimes the doping concentration cannot be increased as expected, since increasing the doping concentration may lower the breakdown voltage of the device. On the contrary, for the MOSFET device, the doping concentration cannot be reduced to increase the breakdown voltage without increasing unexpected RDS(on).
Therefore, a semiconductor device with both the increase of the breakdown voltage and the improvement of the RDS(on) is developed, which is named as a "super-junction device". The super-junction device includes a composite buffer layer, wherein the composite buffer layer has alternating P-typed and N-typed doped areas and the doped areas have balanced valance. According to the study, the specific on-resistance (Ron, sp) of the super-junction device is 5-100 times lower than that of the conventional high voltage MOSFET.
Although such super-junction device has both features of high breakdown voltage and low specific on-resistance, the manufacturing process thereof is not easy. To optimize the function of the super-junction device, the alternating P-typed and N-typed doped areas of the composite buffer layer have to be doped with equivalent materials, respectively, to achieve the optimal balanced valence state, but such process is not easy to handle in practice. On the other hand, the practical maximum electrical field of the composite buffer layer has to be limited to about 2*105 V/cm, and the practical maximum electrical field of the super-junction device will confine the breakdown voltage thereof.
Therefore, the ion concentration in the doped area of the high voltage super-junction device has to be precisely controlled. However, in the practical manufacturing process, the doped ion concentration of the high resistance epi wafer used in the high voltage super-junction device is low, and the epi wafer with low ion concentration is easy to be interfered by other external counter ions, so that the breakdown voltage of the device may be reduced and the drain leakage current may be increased.
Please refer to FIG. 1, which is a schematic diagram showing an oxidation mask structure for manufacturing a deep trench of a super-junction device according to the prior art. As shown in FIG. 1, an oxidation mask layer 13, which is used as a mask in the etching process for forming the deep trench structure, is formed on an N-typed epitaxial layer 12 on an N+ substrate 11, wherein the oxidation mask layer 13 is formed by PE-TEOS or LP-TEOS. Since the PE-TEOS or LP-TEOS oxidation mask layer 13 is in contact with the N-typed epitaxial layer, if the oxidation mask layer 13 contains the easily diffusible ions, such as boron or aluminum ions, or the external environment contains the easily diffusible ions 14, these ions will diffuse to the N-typed epitaxial layer 12 during the subsequent high temperature process, which may cause unexpected variation of the doping concentration, resulting that the concentrations of the source, body, and drain of the MOS device are changed, and the breakdown voltage is reduced.
Therefore, by reason that in the manufacturing process of the deep trenched super-junction device, the compositions of the conventional oxidation mask layer 13 may cause the internal or the external ions to diffuse to the surface of the high resistance epitaxial layer and have the electrical property changed, it is necessary to provide an improved mask structure for the super-junction device to overcome the defects of the prior art.

Hard mask structure for deep trenched super-junction device