The present invention relates to a novel protein (MAY-I) which exhibits immunosuppressive activity in allogeneic mixed lymphocyte reaction, and provides a gene encoding that protein, a vector containing said gene, a transformant produced by said vector, a method of manufacturing the said protein with immune activity by culturing said transformant, and a medicinal composition and the like containing the said protein.

Organ transplantation is a technique which has already been established as a final treatment for end-stage organ failure. From a medical standpoint, the greatest problem for organ transplantation is acute and chronic organ rejection. Clinically effective drugs which are currently in use include such powerful immunosuppressants as adrenocortical hormone, cyclosporin, tacrolimus, azathioprine, anti-thymocyte antibodies and the like. However, these drugs have a general depressant effect on the host's immune system. Such immunosuppression is usually a factor in the main causes of death following organ transplantation, including organ rejection, infection and malignant tumors. Therefore, it would seem that in addition to antigen-specific immunosuppression, safer and more successful transplantation could be achieved if immune tolerance was artificially introduced, making it possible for the organ to survive permanently with only initial treatment.
Moreover, the aforementioned immunosuppressants are also seen as promising prophylactic or therapeutic agents for auto-immune disorders such as rheumatism and psoriasis and allergic disorders such as allergic asthma (bronchial asthma and the like), allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, allergic dermatitis (atopic dermatitis and the like) and pollinosis, or antirejection drug.
It has long been known that renal transplants are more successful in renal failure patients who receive repeated preoperative blood transfusions (Opelz G et al, Lancet 1, 696–698 (1974)). It has also been recognized that a more effective immune reaction is induced by allogeneic blood transfusion in which the transfusion is specifically matched to the donor (donor specific blood transfusion) (Opelz G et al, Transplant Proc 17, 2357–2361 (1985)) and verified by many experimental tests. In experiments with rodents, complete immune tolerance was induced in many cases through a single allogeneic blood transfusion (Marino H et al, Am J Surg 95, 267–273 (1958); Marquet et al, Transplant Proc III, 708–710 (1971); Fabre J W et al, Transplantation 14, 608–616 (1972)).
There have also been a variety of reports on the mechanism by which allogeneic blood transfusion might induce immune tolerance. Generally speaking, the mechanisms are depending on either cellular or humoral factors (Kobayashi, Eiji, Molecular Medicine 34, 796–804 (1997)). Clonal delation (Cranston D et al, Transplantation 42, 302–306 (1986)) and anergy (Dollman M J et al, J Exp Med 173, 79–87 (1991)) belong in the former mechanism, while the latter mechanism includes bioactive substances in vivo induced by allogeneic blood transfusion which are biologically active in vivo. One of humoral factors is anti-idiotype antibody, which has been shown to be produced immediately after allogeneic blood transfusion in animals (NagarkattI P S et al, Transplantation 36, 695–699 (1983); Downey W E III et al, Transplantation 49, 160–166 (1990); Baldwon W M III et al, Transplantation, 51, 481–485 (1991)) and humans (Horuzxko A et al, Immunology Letters 26, 127–130 (1990)), but less is known about the others.
And since bioactive substances derived through allogeneic transfusion which exhibit immunosuppression are endogenous substances, they can be expected to have fewer side effects than existing immunosuppressants.

Protein induced by homogeneous blood transfusion and DNA encoding the same


A multi-domain liquid crystal display (LCD) device includes a first substrate having a plurality of pixel regions each divided into at least first and second domains, a plurality of pixel electrodes each within one of the pixel regions of the first substrate, each of the pixel electrodes having a plurality of protrusions arranged along different directions within the at least first and second domains, a second substrate facing the first substrate, and a liquid crystal layer between the first and second substrates.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display (LCD) device and a method for fabricating an LCD device, and more particularly, to a multi-domain liquid crystal display (LCD) device and a method for fabricating an LCD device.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
As demand for various types of display devices increases various flat display devices, such as liquid crystal display (LCD) devices, plasma display panel (PDP) devices, electroluminescent display (ELD) devices, and vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) devices, are being developed. Some of the flat display devices are commonly used due to characteristics of thin profile, light weight, and low power consumption, thereby substituting cathode ray tube (CRT) devices with the LCD devices. In addition, mobile type LCD devices, such as displays for notebook computers, are being developed, and LCD devices were developed for computer monitors and televisions.
Despite various technical developments within the LCD device technology, enhancement of picture quality of the LCD device has been lacking. Thus, in order to use the LCD devices as general display devices, the development of LCD devices having high image quality, such as high resolution and luminance, with large-sized screens is necessary while still maintaining light weight, thin profile, and low power consumption. Currently, multi-domain LCD devices having at least two different alignment directions within one pixel region have been developed to obtain LCD devices having wide viewing angles.
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an LCD device according to the related art. In FIG. 1, an LCD device includes first and second substrates 1 and 2, and a liquid crystal layer 3 formed by injecting liquid crystal between the first and second substrates 1 and 2. More specifically, the first substrate 1 includes a plurality of gate lines 4 arranged along a first direction at fixed intervals, a plurality of data lines 5 arranged along a second direction perpendicular with the gate lines at fixed intervals to define a plurality of pixel regions P, a plurality of pixel electrodes 6 each within the pixel regions defined by the plurality of gate and data lines, and a plurality of thin film transistors (TFTs) T being turned ON and OFF according to driving signals transmitted along the gate lines 4 for passing video signals transmitted along the data lines to the pixel electrodes 6.
The second substrate includes a black matrix layer 7 for preventing light leakage within regions, except the pixel regions of the first substrate, and R/G/B color filter layers for producing colored light, and a common electrode 9. Although not shown, alignment layers are formed on opposing surfaces of the first and second substrates 1 and 2 to align liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 3 by a rubbing method. Accordingly, the thin film transistor T includes a gate electrode that protrudes from the gate line 4, a gate insulating layer formed along an entire surface of the first substrate 1, a source electrode that protrudes from the data line 5, and a drain electrode opposing the source electrode.
The pixel electrode 6 is formed of transparent conductive metal having a high transmittance of light, such as indium-tin-oxide (ITO), and the liquid crystal layer 3 is formed of Twisted Nematic (TN) mode liquid crystal material, wherein the light oscillating along a longitudinal direction of the liquid crystal molecules has a first refractive index different from a second refractive index of the light oscillating along a direction vertical to the longitudinal direction of the liquid crystal molecules, thereby creating narrow viewing angles. Accordingly, instead of using the TN mode liquid crystal material, the liquid crystal layer is formed of Vertical Alignment (VA) mode liquid crystal material, whereby the liquid crystal molecules are aligned along different directions by distorting an electric field.
FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of a unit pixel for a multi-domain LCD device according to the related art. In FIG. 2, upper and lower substrates 70 and 80 are formed to oppose each other, and a liquid crystal layer 90 is formed between the upper and lower substrates 70 and 80. In addition, projections 60 are formed along inner facing surfaces of the upper and lower substrates 70 and 80, wherein one projection 60 is formed at a center position of the inner surface of the upper substrate 70, and the other projections 60 are formed on the left and right sides of the inner surface of the lower substrate 80. If the projection 60 is formed of a material having a dielectric constant lower than a dielectric constant of the liquid crystal molecule 92, the electric field 94 (arrow direction) is formed outward to the projection 60 of the upper substrate 70. In addition, the liquid crystal molecules 92 are aligned in perpendicular to the electric field 94, whereby the arrangement of the liquid crystal molecules is divided into first and second domains A and B. Thus, distortion of the electric field is attenuated as the difference of the dielectric constant between the projection 60 and the liquid crystal molecule 92 increases. Accordingly, as the projections 60 are formed of material having a dielectric constant greater than a dielectric constant of the liquid crystal molecule 92, it is possible to obtain a stable multi-domain LCD device.
However, the related art multi-domain LCD device has the following disadvantages. In the related art multi-domain LCD device, the distortion of the electric field is formed by the projections formed on the inner surfaces of the lower and upper substrates. As a result, the aperture ratio lowers by the occupying area of the projections on the inner surfaces of the lower and upper substrates, thereby lowering the luminance. However, since the multi-domain LCD device requires rubbing fixation or electrode structures to determine the alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules, complicated manufacturing processes are required that increase manufacturing costs.

Multi-domain liquid crystal display device and method for fabricating the same


A reflective mask may include an anti-reflective (AR) coating on an absorber layer to improve inspection contrast in an inspection system using deep ultraviolet (DUV) light. A silicon nitride (Si3N4) AR coating may be used on a chromium (Cr) or tantalum nitride (TaN) absorber layer.

Masks used in lithography systems may be inspected by comparing light transmitted in the patterned (or "line") region of the mask to the light transmitted in the non-patterned (or "space") region. The defect detection sensitivity of the inspection system may depend on the difference in contrast between light transmitted in the two regions. Conventional transmissive optical masks may exhibit high inspection contrast since the light will either pass through the mask in the space region or will be blocked by the line region.
Low inspection contrast may present a problem in the inspection of reflective masks. Light absorber materials in the patterned region may typically reflect about 25% to about 45% of incident deep ultraviolet (DUV) light used for inspection purposes. The particular wavelength of the DUV inspection light may depend on the type of absorber, but may be in a range of about 150 nm to about 250 nm. The reflector region (e.g., the non-patterned region) may typically reflect about 60% of the DUV inspection light. As a result, the signal contrast between the patterned and non-patterned regions may be relatively low. In addition, there may be interference effects between the reflected light in the two regions due to the step height of the absorber. This interference effect may cause reflectance oscillation near the absorber edges, which may reduce the defect inspection sensitivity.

Reflective mask with high inspection contrast


A multiple aperture ultrasonic transducer having a linear array of elements, each element having a plurality of segments forming apertures of the array, and a connection assembly for interconnecting the segments and connecting the segments to circuits. The connection assembly includes an electrode layer directly adjacent to the segments, at least one insulating layer, and at least one connector layer. The electrode layer has an electrode area for each segment and one of the insulating layers has a connection opening for each segment and connection areas for pairs of segments while the connection layer has segment to segment connectors and segment pad connectors. Each element may be divided into sub-elements with connection cross-overs offset by one sub-element along the array and alternately reversed while alternate middle segments connect to alternate sides. The connection assembly may include interlayer connector layer and may be constructed onto a carrier which may be removed before attachment to a backing body, or the connection assembly may be deposited onto the array before attachment to a backing body. The connection assembly may be fabricated as a single assembly with a monolithic block of piezoelectric material and the assembly diced to a predetermined depth and across a predetermined width so that selected connections between electrode areas and to the pads remain intact. Interlayer vias are staggered and have clearance openings extending into the dicing kerf to reduce space and to insure connection after dicing.

Ultrasonic transducers are used in many medical applications and, in particular, for the non-invasive acquisition of images of organs and conditions within a patient, typical examples being the ultrasound imaging of fetuses and the heart. The ultrasonic transducers used in such applications are generally hand held, and must meet stringent dimensional constraints in order to acquire the desired images. For example, it is frequently necessary that the transducer be able to obtain high resolution images of significant portions of a patient's chest cavity through the gap between two ribs when used for cardiac diagnostic purposes, thereby severely limiting the physical dimensions of the transducer.
As a consequence, and because of the relatively small aperture between human ribs and similar constraints upon transducer positioning when attempting to gain images of other parts of the human body, there has been significant development of linear or phased array transducers comprising multiple transmitting and receiving elements, with the associated electronics and switching circuits, to provide relatively narrowly focused and "steerable" transmitting and receiving "beams". The most common of such transducers comprises a one element wide by multiple element long linear array of transmitting and receiving elements, thereby allowing the beam to be focused and scanned along the plane of the transducer elements, which is referred to as azimuth scanning. The elements of such transducers are often arranged in line along a flat plane or may be arranged along concave or convex contours, thereby providing a greater scanning arc, and are often provided with acoustic focusing lenses made of materials having suitable properties to act as lenses in the acoustic frequency ranges of interest.
The transducer elements of linear or phased array transducers are most frequently made of a piezoelectric material and the linear array of elements is generally mounted onto a body made of some backing material. One or more layers of impedance matching material, generally considered to be a part of the elements themselves, is often superimposed upon the transducer elements. A lens comprised of a suitable material may be additionally superimposed upon the impedance matching material to shape or focus the beams generated by the transducer elements, or the impedance matching material may have suitable characteristics and may be shaped to operate as an acoustic lens. Connections between the individual transducer elements and the associated electronics and switching elements are usually provided through various arrangements and combinations of thick and thin film circuits, flexible printed circuits and wires.
Such transducers are generally constructed from a single piece of transducer material having a width equal to the length of one element and a length equal to the widths of the total number of elements plus spaces between the elements. One or more thin or thick film circuits or flexible printed circuits having connections and paths for the individual elements, or the like implemented in any of several other ways, are bonded to one side of the piece of transducer material and a layer or layers of matching material may be bonded to the stack as required by the final construction of the transducer. A temporary or permanent layer of backing material of some form, such as a flexible material, may also be bonded to the back of the stack to aid in handling the stack during manufacture.
Successive cuts are then made across the width of the transducer stack at intervals corresponding to the widths of the elements and the spacing between the elements to divide the single piece of material into the individual elements. This operation is generally referred to as "dicing" and is usually done with a device referred to as a dicing saw, but may be done with other techniques, such as lasers. These cuts may extend only through the transducer and matching material layers, or partly or completely through the circuit layer, or through the circuit layer and at least a part of any backing layers, depending upon the detailed design and implementation of the circuit layers. The assembly of individual transducer elements with the circuit and matching layers are then bonded to the backing body, which may have a flat, concave or convex face, as described above, with any temporary backing layers being removed as necessary. It should be noted that in certain instances the dicing may be done after the assembly of transducer elements, matching materials, and circuits is bonded to the backing material and that the dicing cuts may extend into the layers of backing material or even into the backing body.
The connections to wires or printed circuits, such as flexible circuits, which in turn connect to the electronics and switching elements are made before or after the transducer assembly is bonded to the backing body, again depending on the detailed design and implementation of these connections.
While such azimuth scanning linear or phased arrays are advantageous for the intended purposes of such ultrasonic transducers, this type of linear or phased array transducer has the disadvantage that it can perform only an azimuth scan along the single plane of the transducer elements and is thereby often referred to as a one dimensional, or "1D", array. As a consequence, there have been many attempts to provide linear or phased array transducers that are also capable of scanning or focusing in elevation as well as azimuth, that is, along the axis at right angles to the azimuth plane along which the elements are arrayed, as well as along the azimuth plane.
As is well understood, the formation, steering and focusing of the transmitting and receiving beams of a transducer are controlled by selection and use of the various separate physical divisions or areas of transducer material comprising the transducer array, which are referred to as apertures. In a "1D" array, which is capable of forming beams only along the azimuth scan plane, each transducer element forms a single aperture, so that the array is formed of a single row of apertures extending along the face of the array, and such transducers are referred to as "single aperture" transducers.
In contrast with a "single aperture" transducer, in which each aperture is formed by an element extending across the face of the array as a single unitary area or division, each corresponding element in a transducer capable of scanning in elevation is divided into multiple sub-areas, or elevation sub-segments, and thereby into multiple apertures. Such transducers are consequently referred to as "multiple aperture" transducers, or two dimensional or "2D" transducers. The shape, focus and direction of the scan planes and beams of a multiple aperture transducer are again controlled by selecting combinations of the apertures, that is, of the sub-areas of the transducer elements, so that the apertures of a multiple aperture array can be used to steer and focus the transducer scan beam along the elevation axis as well as along the azimuth axis and can define multiple azimuthal scan planes, each being at a different angle of elevation. The apertures may be either driven actively, or simply de-activated to reduce the size of the acoustic aperture, thereby controlling the shape, direction and focus of the transmitting and receiving beams formed by the transducer array.
While the construction of the piezoelectric elements for a multiple aperture transducer presents greater difficulties than for a single aperture array, the methods are well known and similar to those used in construction of a single aperture array. For example, a particular application may require that each element be comprised of three segments, or apertures, that is, two outer segments and a middle segment. This may be achieved, for example, by constructing the transducer elements from three elongated pieces of transducer material, that is, two outer pieces and a middle piece, and then dicing the pieces across the face of the array as was described with regard to single aperture arrays, or by additional cuts along the transducer stack in the longitudinal direction to divide the two outer segments from the middle segment.
The primary problem in constructing multiple aperture arrays is that the number of electrical connections to each element, each of may be comprised of three or more segments, and possibly between elements, is greatly increased while the space in which to make the connections does not increase. For example, going from a single aperture array to a three aperture array triples the number of segments in each elements, that is, from one to three, and, instead of one connection to the single segment comprising the element, there must be two separate connections to the two outer segments, a third connection to the middle segment, and additional connections to each possible pair of segments. In addition, each middle segment is bounded on both ends by the outer segments of the element and on either side by the two adjacent elements, so that the middle segments are not readily accessible for connections. In addition, the connections to the outer and middle segments must be made in such a manner as not to interfere with the acoustic characteristics of the transducer.
Considering a specific example, the Hewlett-Packard Model 21215 transducer provides two sizes of elevation apertures and is constructed generally as described above, that is, of a linear array of separate or separated elements wherein each element is comprised of three separate segments, two outer segments and a middle segment. In this design, the elements are arranged in a straight plane, rather than a concave or convex arc, and the middle segment of each element is connected to a transmit/receive circuit while the two outer segments of the element are connected together and then to a second transmit/receive circuit or through a switch to the same transmit/receive circuit as the middle segment.
Connections to the segments are made through flex circuits, that is, circuits etched onto thin, flexible circuit boards, and an individual flex circuit is used for each set of elevation segment connections wherein each flex circuit contains all of the connections for the corresponding segments of each of the elements along the array. The transducer therefore requires three flex circuits, one for each out row of segments and one for the middle row of segments. The two flex circuits connecting to the outer segments of each element of the outer segments and are then connected by a jumper flex circuit or a circuit board. The third flex circuit connects to the middle segments of the elements, and thus must make connection at the middle of the back side of the piezoelectric array.
It is therefore apparent that a two aperture array requires three times as many connections to the piezoelectric segments themselves, twice as many flex circuits as in a single aperture array, and two additional flex circuit to flex circuit connections by a flex jumper or printed circuit board for each element. These connections result in higher cost and lower manufacturing yield and reliability. In addition, assembly is more complex in that the flex circuit to the middle segments must be carefully aligned with the flex circuits to the outer segments. This factor alone makes it difficult, if not impossible, to manufacture a curved array and the presence of the middle segment flex circuit requires the user of either a poured backing body material or complex molding or machining to manufacture the backing body.
The methods used in the prior art to construct multiple aperture arrays include the use of multiple flex circuits, as described just above, connections embedded in the backing body, and the use of electrostrictive rather than piezoelectric materials for the transducer elements.
The disadvantages of multiple flex circuits have been discussed above, and the disadvantages of connections embedded in the backing body are comparable. For example, a preferred method for embedding connection circuits in the backing body is the use of laminating layers of backing material on or in which signal leads have been made. An alternative is the use of a multi-layer thick film ceramic hybrid circuit which also serves as the backing body. The laminated layers with embedded connection circuits results in leads which run vertically, that is, perpendicularly, between the segments and an interface circuit to which the connections are made, but also results in leads with very small cross sections that are attached at both ends by butt joints, which lack reliability. The use of a multi-layer thick film circuit, in turn, can provide much stronger and more reliable connections, but the acoustic characteristics of the ceramic material degrades the acoustic performance of the transducer. Both approaches, moreover, have the disadvantage of requiring multiple steps to make the connections to the piezoelectric elements and the added cost from not using standard printed or hybrid circuit manufacturing techniques.
Certain other transducer designs have used electrostrictive materials rather than piezoelectric materials for the elements because electrostrictive materials require only one signal lead for each element as the aperture can be controlled by switching entire segments of the elements on or off with a dc bias voltage.
The present invention provides a solution to these and other problems of the prior art.

Element interconnections for multiple aperture transducers


A kana-to-kanji conversion system, in which an input character string is displayed in Romaji in the order in which the characters are inputted in a client on a network, the input character string in Romaji is transmitted successively from the client to a server, a kana character string is obtained by processing the successively transmitted input character string in the server, the kana character string is returned to the originator client from the server, and, of the displayed Romaji in the client, a display of a section corresponding to the returned kana character string is changed to the kana character string.

A concrete example of a kana-to-kanji conversion system is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 7-85025. According to this publication, there is disclosed a technology in which a character string inputted using a keyboard in the side of a client is displayed in kana on a CRT without transmission of the character string to a server. In this case, some application for converting the inputted character string in kana for obtaining a kana character string (a character string that comprises Roman letters and kana mixed therein and in which the kana has yet to be converted to a character string with Roman letters, kana and kanji mixed therein) is required in the side of the client, which causes a heavy load on the client side in the system.
To solve this problem, system configuration is conceivable in which the function of outputting a kana character string is allocated to the side of server and the function of displaying the kana character string sent from the server is allocated to the side of clients. FIG. 10 is a view for explaining the concept of a kana-to-kanji conversion system based on the conventional technology. As shown in FIG. 10, if a server 5 takes charge of the entire kana-to-kanji conversion including the processing for outputting a kana character string, a character string inputted in the side of a client 6 is transmitted to the server 5 as it is and is converted to kana character string in the server 5. The kana character string converted by the server 5 is returned to the client 6, and the kana character string sent from the server 5 is displayed in the client 5.
Taking a user interface into consideration, it is important that the response time, which a time elapsed when a user inputs a character string using the keyboard and the kana character string is displayed on the screen of a CRT, is short so that it does not cause stress to the user. If the response time is long or it is not constant, the rhythm of inputting characters is disturbed, and the user gets stressed. Accordingly, in recent years, there has been expected a proposal of a kana-to-kanji conversion system with which the problems as described above can be solved as quickly as possible.

Kana-to-kanji conversion method including romaji input and translation processing by a server


A system 230, communications unit 101, and method (FIG. 3), for dynamically controlling access to services in an unobtrusive manner is disclosed, where the method includes receiving a request for services (303) and denying the request until a security screen is satisfied (315), unless those services have been recently accessed (309).

Current cellular and wireless technology enables a built-in level of security protection through the use of a numeric code, sometimes referred to as a personal identification number (PIN). Such a feature enables subscribers to set security features such as phone lock and keypad lock to prevent unauthorized use or misuse of the subscriber device. In addition, modern cellular communication systems, such as Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) use subscriber identity modules or SIM cards to personalize phone units into which the SIM cards are installed. Conventional SIM cards are smart cards that include user specific data. The data can, for example, define an international subscriber directory number (ISDN) or phone number, identity of the subscriber, memorized speed dialing numbers, unit features to which the subscriber has subscribed, and a security key.
The SIM card data or information can be protected using a SIM PIN security feature. An authentication process is performed during registration of a handset with the SIM card installed and the system or infrastructure and prior to permitting incoming and outgoing calls. Only if the authentication process is successful (user enters correct PIN) will the registration or call be allowed to take place.
To maintain system security, the SIM card is constructed so that its cryptographic security key cannot be read from or otherwise divulged by the SIM card. Thus, the SIM card allows the system to provide communication services only when authentication is successful, thus reducing the theft of communication services by unauthorized users. In such a conventional communications or cellular phone unit, barring a user's call can be obtrusive or obstructive when the user is prompted for a PIN each time an attempt is made to either make or receive a call. Additionally, if such a call barring feature is not enabled, the phone is open to fraudulent use if it is misplaced or stolen.
Therefore, what is needed is a method, and apparatus for dynamically controlling access to services, such as call services, in an unobtrusive manner.


Techniques are described for defining, creating, and presenting a chart. When the chart is called, up-to-date information is used to create the chart. This allows the chart to reflect current key performance indicators for a business. A tool can also be provided for creating a chart definition, which is used to instantiate the chart. The tool provides graphical inputs for a user to select the inputs, operations and outputs into the chart. The tool enables users to create the chart definition with little or no programming.

This application is related to information presentation. Computer systems and their associated applications have advanced our ability to compute and transform data and thereby provide meaningful information about data that has been accumulated. The data can be compiled into charts or graphs, including bar charts, pie charts, line graphs, tables, scatter plots and stacked bar charts. Charts provide a way to communicate the data in a graphical form that allows a user to quickly compare multiple data points to one another.


A cosmetic composition is provided comprising (A) 0.05-30% by weight of an amphiphatic lipid, (B) 0.05-30% by weight of a nonionic surfactant, (C) 1-50% by weight, based on (b), of an ionic surfactant, and (D) 40-99% by weight of an aqueous medium, wherein said composition is transparent or semi-transparent, and wherein the ratio of (A)/[(B)+(C)] is 0.2-10, which is beautifully transparent or semi-transparent, and in which the amphiphatic lipids are stably microdispersed.

The water content of the stratum corneum decreases as the skin becomes more rough, dry, or aged. To obtain a pleasant feel for the skin, or to obtain an attractive outerlayer of the skin, various moisture retaining agents or oils are often incorporated into cosmetic compositions. Oils tend to increase the water content of the stratum corneum by occlusion of the skin surface thereby softening the stratum corneum. On the other hand, aqueous moisture retaining agents tend to increase the water content of the stratum corneum because of their water retaining ability, also resulting in a softening of the stratum corneum. This is why cosmetic compositions containing various oils or aqueous moisture retaining agents, improve the feel of the skin and the skin's appearance. However, oils have the problem that they tend to be greasy or cause a skin shine. Aqueous moisture retaining agents are likely to be washed away with water, resulting in a short-lived cosmetic effect.
Intercellular lipids, are found in the intercellular portions of the stratum corneum, and form stratified structures which aid in the adhesion of the stratum corneum cells, and in the hydration of the stratum corneum. Such lipids, extracted from the skin have been used in cosmetic compositions instead of oils or aqueous moisturizing agents, (Japanese Laid Open Patent Application Nos. 62-29508/1987, 62-120308/1987). Likewise synthetic compounds having analogous structures to intercellular lipids have also been used for similar purposes (Japanese Laid Open Application No. 62-228048/1987, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,823).
Amphiphatic lipids, such as the intercellular lipids, are solid at room temperature (25.degree. C.) and when used in cosmetics are incorporated in admixture with the oils and/or emulsifying agents, or are dissolved in large amounts of surfactant.
Opaque, white emulsions are obtained simply by mixing the lipids with the oils and/or emulsifiers, although it is difficult to incorporate intercellular lipids stably into cosmetic compositions wherein the lipids are in high concentration.
Transparent cosmetics are obtained by the use of a large amount of surfactant and lipids. Unfortunately large amounts of surfactant, tends to interfere with the function of the amphiphatic lipids, sometimes resulting in skin irritation due to the surfactants.
It would be desirable, therefore, to provide a cosmetic composition which does not irritate the skin, but which contains the amphiphatic lipids in a stable and clear transparent or semi-transparent condition.

Transparent or semi-transparent cosmetic composition


A guide device for guiding a variable-pitch blade, in particular in a turbomachine compressor, the blade having a pivot formed by a cylindrical axial shank mounted in a cylindrical housing of a casing and pivotally guided about an axis in said housing by bearings, where the bearings are abutment bearings with conical rollers, the axes of the rollers being substantially perpendicular to the pivot axis of the blade.

The present invention relates to a device for guiding a blade having a variable pitch angle, such as in particular a blade for directing air admitted into a turbomachine compressor, for example an aviation turbojet or turboprop.
Known guide devices enable the stator blades of a turbomachine to turn about their own axes so as to rectify the flow of gas that has been deflected by the rotor blades. By controlling the extent to which the gas flow is rectified, which is done as a function of the differing speeds of the machine and of the dynamic characteristics of the gas, it is possible to increase performance of a turbomachine.
In most designs, such as those described in documents FR-A-2 743 846, FR-A-2 814 206, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,434, such variable-pitch blades are guided in pivoting by bushings of antifriction material, e.g. sintered bronze, fixed in cylindrical bores machined in thickenings of a casing forming the stator of the turbomachine. The pivoting blades are held axially by washers made of a material similar to that of the bushings.
Those guide means generate an opposing torque that requires considerable force to be used to turn the blades, and they present a lifetime that is insufficient. In documents U.S. Pat. No. 3,674,377 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,778,377, proposals are made to replace them by ball bearings, roller bearings, or needle bearings, the axes of rotation of the rollers or the needles being parallel to the pivot axes of the blades. However, and even though the bearings used in those guides do indeed reduce the opposing torque acting against pivoting the blades, the solutions provided do not give entire satisfaction. When aerodynamic forces due to the flow of gas through the turbomachine act on the variable-pitch blades, the rolling elements (balls, needles, or rollers) in the bearings for guiding the blade are not loaded in uniform manner, i.e. some of the rolling elements are subjected to loads that are very high, while other elements are practically not loaded at all. As a consequence, wear on the rolling elements is not uniformly distributed, with highly loaded rolling elements wearing out much more quickly than rolling elements that are not loaded or that are lightly loaded, thereby leading to accelerated aging of the bearings which need to be monitored and changed regularly.

Method of guiding a blade having a variable pitch angle


A method for forming an active isolation structure in a semiconductor integrated circuit die is disclosed. A first hard mask layer is deposited over a semiconductor substrate. Portions of the first hard mask layer are removed to form at least one trench. A spacer layer is deposited over the first hard mask and extends into each trench to cover exposed portions of the semiconductor substrate surface in each trench. Portions of the spacer layer are removed such that remaining portions define spacer layer walls covering the side walls of each trench. A second hard mask layer is deposited and extends into each trench between opposing spacer layer walls. The spacer layer walls are removed such that remaining portions of the first and second hard mask layers define a mask pattern, which is then transferred to the substrate to form openings in the substrate, which are filled with an isolation material.

Reduction in the size of active isolation structures in a semiconductor die, e.g., for locating transistors and/or other circuit elements, has typically been limited by the lithographic processes available. As the size of transistors has decreased and the density of transistors on the semiconductor die has increased due to improvements in lithographic fabrication processes, active isolation structures for locating these transistors have been unable to decrease proportionally in size with the smaller and/or more densely populated transistors.

Spacer enabled active isolation for an integrated circuit device


The present invention provides, among other things, compositions and methods of formulating nucleic acid-containing nanoparticles comprising no more than three distinct lipids components, one distinct lipid component being a sterol-based cationic lipid. In some embodiments, the present invention provides compositions and methods in which the lipid nanoparticles further comprise helper lipids and PEG-modified lipids. The resulting formulation comprises a high encapsulation percentage for nucleic acids.

Nucleic acid-based technologies are increasingly important for various therapeutic applications including, but not limited to, messenger RNA therapy. Efforts to deliver nucleic acids have included the creation of compositions formulated to protect nucleic acids from degradation when delivered in vivo. One type of delivery vehicle for nucleic acids has been lipid nanoparticles. Important parameters to consider for the successful use of lipid nanoparticles as a delivery vehicle include lipid nanoparticle formation, physical properties of lipid components, nucleic acid encapsulation efficiencies, in vivo nucleic acid release potential, and lipid nanoparticle toxicity.

Ice-based lipid nanoparticle formulation for delivery of mRNA


An inkjet printer having, a white color head to jet a white color ink; a plurality of process color heads to jet respective process color inks; and a controller to control operations of the white color head and the plurality of process color heads, wherein the controller selectively conducts a control of a top face printing where at least one of the plurality of the process color heads jets the respective process color ink after the white color head jets the white color ink, or a control of a bottom face printing where the white color head jets the white color ink after at least one of the plurality of the process color heads jets the respective process color ink.

The present invention relates to an inkjet printer.
When the color printing is conducted on a resin package material, mainly, the printing is conducted by the gravure printing. The gravure printing is a printing system by which the ink is put in a concave portion formed on a printing plate and this is directly transferred onto a recording medium, and it has the features in which the character, symbol and picture can be colorfully expressed, and the high speed printing can be conducted on a plenty of recording media. Herein, for example, when the printing is conducted on a transparent package material, in order to maintain the durability to the rubbing of the printing surface, there is a case that the printing is conducted on the bottom face of the package material, and this is called "bottom face printing". Further, it is needless to say, when the printing is conducted on the opaque package material, the printing is conducted on the top face of the package material, and this is called "top face printing".
Meanwhile, to the transparent packing material, for example, there is a case where the character, symbol and picture are printed by making the special color such as white color the background color. In this case, when the bottom face printing is conducted, each color ink of each color is previously printed, and after that, for example, the white color ink may be printed, further, when the top face printing is conducted, the white color ink is previously printed, and after that, each color ink of each color may be printed.
However, with regard to the printing of the character, symbol and picture in which the special color such as the white color is the background color to the packing material as described above, although the gravure printing is a useful printing technology having the above-described features, in the pre-processing by which the printing is practically conducted, it is necessary to make a plate, and it takes much cost and times to produce this plate. Accordingly, when the printing of a small amount and many kinds of products is conducted, it is considered to be preferable that the printing is conducted by using the inkjet printer which does not need the plate, and the inkjet printer which can conduct the printing corresponding to the transparent or opaque packing material on a case-by-case basis, is desired.
Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet printer by which the printing can be conducted corresponding even to the transparent or opaque resin made packing material, on a case-by-case basis.


A backstop device prevents reverse rotation of a rotor in fishing reels The backstop device including an inner race and a backstop body, which are cooperatively assembled into a single body. The inner race has a plurality of needle rollers individually held in a roller seat opening. The backstop body is fitted over the inner race so as to prevent reverse rotation of the rotor and acts as an outer race of a one-way roller bearing. The roller bearing is free from any expensive or complicated outer race. The backstop device is also free from any gap formed between the bearing receiver of the backstop body and the roller bearing and reduces the production cost of a fishing reel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to a back-stop device for preventing reverse rotation of a rotor in fishing reels and, more particularly, to a backstop device comprising an inner race, consisting of a plurality of needle rollers individually kept in a roller seat opening, and a backstop body integrated with the inner race so as to prevent reverse rotation of a rotor and acting as an outer race of a one-way roller bearing, thus being free from any typical expensive and complicated outer race.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As well known to those skilled in the art, typical backstop devices, used for preventing reverse rotation of a rotor in fishing reels, include a one-way roller bearing and a backstop body. The typical backstop device including a one-way roller bearing and a backstop body is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The one-way roller bearing 3 of a typical backstop device includes two races: an inner race 1 and an outer race 2 which are assembled into a single body. The inner race 1 includes a cylindrical body 1a with a plurality of regularly spaced roller seat openings 1b. A needle roller 1d is rotatably held in each of the roller seat openings 1b by a roller holder 1e and is biased by a plate spring 1c installed on one side surface of each roller seat opening 1b.
The outer race 2 has to withstand a wedging effect of the needle rollers 1d, so the race 2 is preferably formed of a case hardened steel plate through a drawing process. That is, the outer race 2 is formed as a cylindrical body, closed at the bottom and has outward bulges at regularly spaced axial positions of the side wall, thus having a plurality of axially bulging portions 2a. Due to the axially bulging portions 2a, interior depressions 2b and sloped surfaces 2c are formed on the inner surface 2e of the outer race 2. The inner surface 2e of the outer race 2 is produced by a nitrification or corrosion-resistive process so as to improve anticorrosion properties. The inner lip of the outer race 2 extends slightly inward, thereby forming an annular collar 2d capable of preventing an unexpected separation of the inner race 1 from the outer race 2.
The backstop body 4 of a typical backstop device includes a cylindrical bearing receiver 4a which receives and holds the one-way roller bearing 3. The inner surface of the bearing receiver 4a is provided with a plurality of regularly spaced axially formed ridges 4c with a plurality of valleys 4b being formed between the ridges 4c, thus contacting the axially bulging outer surface of the outer race 2. A toothed ring 4e, with a plurality of stop grooves 4d, is exteriorly formed on one end of the bearing receiver 4a. In the above backstop device, the one-way roller bearing 3 and the backstop body 4 are separately produced prior to being assembled into a single body. The construction of an assembled backstop device is shown in a cross-sectioned view of FIG. 2 in detail.
In order to assemble the one-way roller bearing 3 and the backstop body 4 into a backstop device, the roller bearing 3 is fitted into the bearing receiver 4a of the backstop body 4 prior to being installed in a fishing reel.
FIGS. 3 and 4 are views showing the construction and operation of the typical backstop device installed in a fishing reel. As shown in the drawings, when a handle (not shown) of the reel is rotated with a predetermined direction by a user, the rotating force of the handle is transmitted to a helical gear 15 of a hollow drive shaft 10 through a drive gear 14, thus rotating the drive shaft 10 along with a sleeve 11.
When a control lever 13 is operated so as to bring a stopper 12 into engagement with one of the stop grooves 4d of the backstop body 4, the backstop body 4 is brought into a stop position where the body 4 is not rotatable. When the drive shaft 10 along with the sleeve 11 is rotated in a normal direction (clockwise in FIG. 3) at such a stop position of the backstop body 4, the needle rollers 1d interposed between the sloped surfaces 2c of the outer race 2 and the external surface of the sleeve 11, roll on the sleeve 11 in the normal direction. In such a case, each of the axially bulging portions 2a of the outer race 2 moves to one side of an associated valley 4b of the backstop body 4. Therefore, each of the needle rollers 1d shifts from the shallow portion of the sloped surface 2c to the interior depression 2b due to the frictional rotating force of the sleeve 11 being rotated toward the interior depressions 2b. The needle rollers 1d are thus positioned and smoothly rotated in the depressions 2b, thus allowing the rotor 16, mounted to the end of the drive shaft 10, to be freely rotated in the normal direction.
Meanwhile, when the drive shaft 10 along with the sleeve 11 is rotated in a reverse direction (clockwise in FIG. 3) at the stop position of the backstop body 4, the needle rollers 1d roll on the sleeve 11 in the reverse direction. In such a case, each of the axially bulging portions 2a of the outer race 2 moves to the other side of an associated valley 4b of the backstop body 4. Therefore, each of the needle rollers 1d shifts from the deep portion of the slopes surface 2c to the shallower portion thereof due to the frictional rotating force of the sleeve 11 being rotated toward the shallow portions of the slope surfaces 2c. The needle rollers 1d are thus wedged between the shallow portions of the sloped surfaces 2c and the outer surface of the sleeve 11, so both the backstop body 4 and the sleeve 11 are not rotatable. Therefore, the sleeve 11, the drive shaft 10, and the rotor 16 are all prevented from being rotated in the reverse direction.
However, the above backstop device has a problem caused by the one-way roller bearing and the backstop body which are separately produced prior to being assembled into a single body. That is, the roller bearing is fitted into the bearing receiver and integrated with the backstop body, prior to being installed in a fishing reel. Therefore, a gap is formed between the bearing receiver of the backstop body and the outer race of the roller bearing, resulting in an idling rotation of the roller bearing when the sleeve is rotated in the normal or reverse direction. Due to the idling rotation of the roller bearing, operation of the reel during jerking motion of a fishing rod is somewhat delayed. Since the roller bearing is fitted into the backstop body prior to being installed in a fishing reel, the typical backstop device cause problems while assembling the fishing reel. Furthermore, the configuration of the outer race of the roller bearing is complicated, so it is very difficult to design such an outer race. Another problem experienced in the typical backstop device is that both the one-way roller bearing and the backstop body are expensive and have to be separately managed by a reel manufacturer, thus increasing the production cost of a fishing reel.

Backstop device for preventing reverse rotation of rotor in fishing reels


The present invention is directed to a scanning apparatus and method for processing a substrate, wherein the scanning apparatus comprises a first link and a second link rigidly coupled to one another at a first joint, wherein the first link and second link are rotatably coupled to a base portion by the first joint, therein defining a first axis. An end effector, whereon the substrate resides, is coupled to the first link. The second link is coupled to a first actuator via at least second joint. The first actuator is operable to translate the second joint with respect to the base portion, therein rotating the first and second links about the first axis and translating the substrate along a first scan path in an oscillatory manner. A controller is further operable to maintain a generally constant translational velocity of the end effector within a predetermined scanning range.

In the semiconductor industry, various manufacturing processes are typically carried out on a substrate (e.g., a semiconductor wafer) in order to achieve various results thereon. Processes such as ion implantation, for example, can be performed in order to obtain a particular characteristic on or within the substrate, such as limiting a diffusivity of a dielectric layer on the substrate by implanting a specific type of ion. Conventionally, ion implantation processes are performed in either a batch process, wherein multiple substrates are processed concurrently, or a serial process, wherein a single substrate is individually processed. Traditional high-energy or high-current batch ion implanters, for example, are operable to achieve a short ion beam line, wherein a large number of wafers may be placed on a wheel or disk, and the wheel is spun and radially translated through the ion beam, thus exposing all of the substrates surface area to the beam at various times throughout the process. Processing batches of substrates in such a manner, however, generally makes the ion implanter substantially large in size.
In a typical serial process, on the other hand, either an ion beam is scanned in a single axis across a stationary wafer, or the wafer is translated in one direction past a fan-shaped or scanned ion beam. The process of scanning or shaping a uniform ion beam, however, generally requires a complex and/or long beam line, which is generally undesirable at low energies. Furthermore, a uniform translation and/or rotation of either the ion beam or the wafer is generally required in order to provide a uniform ion implantation across the wafer. The relative motion of beam and wafer in translation and/or rotation can be achieved in such manner that the whole surface area of the wafer is implanted with specific ions in a uniform manner. This relative scanning motion can be achieved by mechanical scanning of the wafer through a stationary ion beam, scanning the beam across a relatively stationary wafer, or a combination of scanning both the wafer and the ion beam. In the case of a non-scanned or stationary ion beam, mechanical motion of the wafer should happen in two generally orthogonal axes, wherein the whole wafer surface area is covered by the spot beam by a uniform translation of the wafer along the axes. However, such a uniform translation and/or rotation has been difficult to achieve, due, at least in part, to substantial inertial forces associated with moving the conventional devices and scan mechanisms during processing.
Therefore, a need exists for a device for scanning an ion beam across a substrate, wherein the substrate is uniformly translated and/or rotated with respect to the ion beam.

Mechanical oscillator for wafer scan with spot beam


A memory controller which can be used with an external tag RAM is disclosed. Existing index registers in the controller serve double duty as buffers for storing tag RAM data during a test mode. Input/output lines for the external tag RAM are coupled to the index registers in addition to being coupled to a comparator for comparison with an external address during normal operation. A buffer is provided so that data from the external address from the CPU can be written through these same tag RAM input/output lines in order to update the tag RAM after a miss. In order to prevent DRAMS from putting data on the memory bus during a cache RAM test, a CAS inhibit signal is provided to the DRAM state machine. Posted writes are also disabled to avoid interference with the address provided to the tag RAM.

The present invention relates generally to data caches, and more specifically to techniques for controlling, configuring, and testing such caches.
The use of a data cache is well known as a technique for overcoming some of the performance limitations that result from the mismatch between processor speed and main memory access time. This tends to be a problem with very fast CPU's. In brief, the technique entails providing a relatively small cache memory characterized by access times significantly less than that of the main memory. The contents of selected portions of main memory are copied into the cache memory, and memory accesses look to the cache to speed the data acquisition. In current high-end personal computers, the main memory is implemented as DRAM (dynamic RAM) chips, while the cache data RAM and tag RAM are implemented as SRAM (static RAM) chips which are much faster, but much more expensive for a given amount of memory.
A typical direct-mapped cache includes a cache data RAM containing cached data, and a tag RAM containing partial (high-order) address information. The cache is accessed by applying low-order address information as an index to the address inputs of the cache data RAM and the tag RAM, reading out the tag, and comparing the tag with the corresponding portion of the full address. If the two agree, the access is said to have resulted in a cache hit, and the contents of the cache data RAM for that address are supplied to the CPU. If the two do not agree, the memory access is said to have resulted in a cache miss, and the CPU must wait for the data to be brought in from the slower main memory.
As a specific example, a 64-kilobyte cache is addressable by a 16-bit address. An 8-bit tag, when combined with the 16-bit address, provides a 24-bit address which allows any memory location in a 16-megabyte memory to be cached. A 10-bit tag would allow caching of up to a 64-megabyte memory. In a typical configuration, the cache data RAM data ports are coupled to the local processor bus while the DRAM data ports are coupled to a buffered version of the local processor data bus. Buffers and separate control signals are needed to avoid both the DRAM and the cache trying to put data on the bus at the same time.
A typical cache memory will have valid bits associated with each entry. The valid bits indicate whether there is a valid entry in the cache. Invalid entries will be present, for example, when the system is started up before there have been any reads from the DRAM to put data into the cache. In addition, if the data in DRAM is modified, the corresponding cache entry for the previous data will become invalid.

Data cache management system with test mode using index registers and CAS disable and posted write disable


A sample separation apparatus including a porous, or rough, capillary column. The porous capillary column includes a matrix which defines pores, and may be formed rough surface of hemispherical grain silicon. The capillary column is defined in a surface of a substrate, such as silicon. The sample separation apparatus may include a stationary phase or a capture substrate disposed on the surfaces thereof. The sample separation apparatus may also include a detector positioned proximate the capillary column. A variation of the sample separation apparatus includes an electrode proximate each end of the capillary column. The sample separation apparatus may be employed to effect various types of chromatographic separation, electrophoretic separation, and analyte identification.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to chromatographs and other apparatus for separating the constituents of a sample. Particularly, the present invention relates to a miniaturized separation apparatus which comprises a porous capillary column. More specifically, the porous separation apparatus of the present invention includes a sample column and a detector that is disposed along the column to detect the presence of and identify each constituent that passes by the detector. The porous capillary column may comprise a matrix of porous silicon or hemispherical grain silicon on the surface thereof. The present invention also includes methods for manufacturing and using the inventive separation apparatus.
2. Background of Related Art
Various techniques have long been employed to separate the constituents of a sample in order to facilitate the identification and quantification of one or more of the constituents. Separation techniques are useful for separating inorganic substances and organic substances, such as chemicals, proteins, and nucleic acids. Techniques that have been conventionally employed for separating the constituents of a sample include various types of chromatography and electrophoresis.
Chromatography is a process that is employed in analytical chemistry in order to separate and identify the constituents of a sample. The various types of chromatography that have been conventionally employed include thin layer chromatography (TLC), column chromatography, gel permeation chromatography, ion-exchange chromatography, affinity chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and gas chromatography (GC).
Thin film chromatography is a well known technique wherein a drop of a sample liquid is applied as a spot to a sheet of absorbent material, which may be paper or a sheet of plastic or glass covered with a thin layer of inert absorbent material, such as cellulose or silica gel. Thin layer chromatographic techniques typically employ a solvent mixture, such as water and an alcohol as respective stationary and mobile phases. The solvent mixture permeates the absorbent material from one edge and the capillary action of the absorbent material moves the sample across the thin layer. One of the solvents binds more tightly to the absorbent material to act as a stationary phase, while the other acts as a mobile phase. As the solvent mixture moves across the absorbent material, the constituents of the sample are separated relative to their solubility in each of the two solvents. Stated another way, the sample constituents equilibrate according to their relative solubilities in each of the solvents. Constituents which are the most soluble in the stationary phase move very little, while constituents which are more soluble in the mobile phase move at higher rates and therefore travel greater distances across the absorbent material.
Conventional column chromatography techniques employ a vertical tube, or column, that is filled with a finely divided solid, or a liquid stationary phase. As a sample is washed down through the stationary phase, it is dissolved in and carried by a mobile phase, which is typically liquid or gas. The various constituents of the sample travel through the stationary phase at different rates. Thus, each of the constituents of the sample spend a different amount of time in the column. The constituents may be collected in fractions as they exit the column and subsequently identified or otherwise analyzed. Constituents of the sample which remain in the stationary phase may be separately identified or otherwise analyzed by sectioning the stationary phase.
Gel permeation chromatography techniques typically employ a column with a stationary phase disposed therein. The stationary phase includes an absorbent gel material with pores of substantially uniform size. As the mobile phase and the sample that is dissolved therein pass through the stationary phase, some of the molecules that are smaller than the pores become entrapped therein, and therefore pass through the column more slowly. The passage of intermediately sized molecules, which are of approximately the same size as the pores, through the column is delayed some, as such molecules enter some of the pores. Molecules that are larger than the pores of the absorbent gel material pass through the stationary phase most quickly, as none of the larger molecules become entrapped in the pores.
Ion exchange chromatography is another variation of column chromatography, wherein the stationary phase comprises positively or negatively charged particles. Oppositely charged constituents of a sample are attracted to the stationary phase, and therefore pass through the column at a slower rate than uncharged constituents and constituents which have the same charge as the charged particles of the stationary phase.
In affinity chromatography, the solid phase comprises particles which have substrate molecules or particles, such as purified antibodies or purified antigens, covalently attached thereto. The substrate binds to a specific constituent or group of constituents in a sample. For example, if the stationary phase comprises antibodies that are specific for a particular antigen, as the sample and mobile phase pass through the column, only that particular antigen will be bound by the stationary phase. The remainder of the sample constituents will pass through the column quickly. The column is subsequently washed to remove any residual amount of the sample from the column. The column is then washed with a dissociating solution, such as a concentrated salt solution, an acidic solution, or a basic solution, in order to dissociate the separated sample constituent from the stationary phase.
High performance liquid chromatography ("HPLC") is similar to column chromatography. In HPLC, the stationary phase is typically a liquid that is carried on very small particles, for example 0.01 mm or less. Consequently, the stationary phase has a very large surface area, and the mobile phase flows extremely slowly therethrough. Thus, a high pressure pump is typically employed in order to increase the rate at which the mobile phase moves through the column.
Conventional gas chromatography methods typically employ a liquid solid phase that is supported by a solid column and a mobile phase that comprises a substantially inert gas, such as nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, or helium. The sample is vaporized as it is injected into the column. As with thin layer chromatography, column chromatography, and HPLC, the constituents of the sample travel across the stationary phase at different rates, and therefore exit the column at different times. As the constituents of the sample exit the column, the constituents are analyzed by a detector, such as a katharometer, a flame ionizer, or an electron capture system, which generates a chromatogram. The identity of each constituent may then be determined by analyzing the chromatogram.
Gas chromatographs are ever-decreasing in size in order to increase their portability. Some small, or miniature or micro gas chromatographs, include columns, which are also referred to as capillary columns, that are fabricated on a silicon substrate. U.S. Pat. No. 5,583,281 (the "'281 patent"), which issued to Conrad M. Yu on Dec. 10, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 4,935,040 (the "'040 patent"), which issued to Michel G. Goedert on Jun. 19, 1990; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,471,647 (the "'647 patent"), which issued to John H. Jerman et al. on Sep. 18, 1994, each disclose exemplary small silicon gas chromatography columns. The capillary columns that are disclosed in each of the '281, '040, and '647 patents include open channels, or conduits, that are etched into the semiconductor substrate.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,132,012 (the "'012 patent"), which issued to Junkichi Miura et al. on Jul. 21, 1992, discloses a liquid chromatograph that includes a capillary column formed in a semiconductor substrate. The capillary column of the chromatograph of the '012 patent comprises an open channel, or conduit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,571,410 (the "'410 patent"), which issued to Sally A. Swedberg et al. on Nov. 5, 1996, discloses a miniature gas chromatography system which includes a capillary column that is formed in a non-silicon substrate by laser ablation. The capillary column of the chromatograph of the '410 patent comprises an open channel, or conduit, with a substantially smooth surface.
The use of substantially smooth, open-channeled capillary columns in miniature chromatographs is, however, somewhat undesirable from the standpoint that open-channeled columns typically have a surface area that is limited by the area of the substantially smooth surface of the channel. The amount of stationary phase material that may be disposed along a given length of substantially smooth, open-channeled capillary columns is also limited by the surface area of that length of the capillary column. Thus, in order to effectively separate the various constituents of a sample, the capillary column must be relatively long. Consequently, the substrate on which the capillary column is formed must have a sufficient surface area to facilitate fabricating the capillary column thereon. Thus, the use of substantially smooth, open-channeled capillary columns in miniature gas chromatographs imposes minimum size limitations on such chromatographs.
Another technique for separating the various constituents of a sample is typically referred to as electrophoresis. Electrophoresis is a process whereby molecules having a net overall electrical charge are migrated at a rate that depends on the electrical charge, size and shape of the molecule. Electrophoresis techniques typically employ a solid matrix through which the constituents, or molecules, of the sample are migrated. A variation of electrophoresis that is typically referred to as polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) separates molecules based strictly on their size. In PAGE, the molecules of the sample are typically linearized and separated, or disassociated from themselves and from other molecules, by means of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), a detergent that binds to the hydrophobic regions of proteins, and 2-mercaptoethanol, or β-mercaptoethanol, which breaks disulfide (S—S) linkages that occur between some amino acids of a protein. The sample is then migrated through a polyacrylamide gel cross-linked matrix, which has very small pores. The pore size of the polyacrylamide gel may be adjusted in accordance with the molecular size, or weight, range for which separation is desired.
The preparation of polyacrylamide gels is a relatively long process. Moreover, the acrylamide that is used to form the gel matrix is a neurotoxin. Some of the other chemicals that may be utilized in electrophoretic processes are also hazardous. In addition, the amount of electric current that may be used to separate the constituents of a sample in gel electrophoresis has conventionally been limited, as too great a current will melt or otherwise disrupt the structure of the gel.
Thus, a small separation apparatus is needed that may be employed to conduct various types of sample separation, which is smaller than conventional devices, and which separates samples adequately. There are also needs for reduced equipment and operational costs.

Separation apparatus including porous silicon column


A novel process for cracking olefins including contacting a hydrocarbon oil with a catalyst in a riser reactor having multiple reaction zones under cracking reaction conditions; separating reaction products and the catalyst; regenerating at least a part of spent catalyst obtained, contacting a part of the regenerated catalyst with the hydrocarbon in the first reaction zone; contacting the other part of the spent catalyst and/or regenerated catalyst in at least one reaction zone after the first reaction zone with the products obtained in previous reaction zones.

Processes for cracking hydrocarbon oils generally comprise contacting and reacting a hydrocarbon oil with a cracking catalyst in a cracking zone under cracking conditions, separating cracked products and the catalyst, circulating the catalyst to a regeneration zone to regenerate the catalyst and circulating at least a part of the regenerated catalyst back to the cracking zone. The object of regenerating the catalyst is to maintain the cracking activity of the catalyst.
Some hydrocarbon oils contain impurities, such as nickel, vanadium, iron and the like. If impurities contained in the hydrocarbon oil, such as nickel, vanadium, iron and the like, are deposited onto the catalyst containing a molecular sieve, the catalyst will thus be deactivated and the distribution of cracked products will be affected. In order to solve this problem, a reduction zone is added in some processes for cracking hydrocarbon oils. U.S. Pat. No. 4,345,992 discloses a process for cracking hydrocarbon oils. The process comprises, under cracking conditions, contacting an olefin oil with a catalytic cracking catalyst in the form of particles in a cracking zone; continuously transferring part of said cracking catalyst to a regeneration zone, removing the carbonaceous deposit on the catalyst in the regeneration zone by combustion, continuously transferring the regenerated catalyst to a reduction zone, contacting said catalyst with a reducing gas in the reduction zone under reduction conditions that enable the adverse effects of the metal impurities to be reduced, using a gaseous seal at the upstream of the reduction zone to assure that the major portion of the unconsumed reducing gas passes into the cracking zone, continuously transferring the reduced catalyst to the cracking zone. Said catalyst includes conventional cracking catalysts, such as zeolite-containing catalysts and amorphous aluminosilicate catalyst.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,443 discloses a process for hydrogenation of olefins. The process comprises cracking a hydrocarbon with a regenerated catalyst having a metal coat under cracking conditions in a cracking zone; transferring continuously said catalyst to a regeneration zone, contacting said catalyst with an oxygen-containing gas to regenerate said catalyst; transferring continuously a part of the regenerated catalyst to said cracking zone; meanwhile, transferring the other part of the regenerated catalyst to a reduction zone where said catalyst contacts with a reducing gas under conditions in which metals on the catalyst are reduced; transferring the cracked hydrocarbon to a separation zone where hydrogen and olefins are separated from the cracked products; contacting at least a part of said hydrogen and olefins with the reduced catalyst in a hydrogenation zone to hydrogenate the olefins; and finally transferring said catalyst to the regeneration zone.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,443 further discloses a process for continuous hydrogenation of olefins. The process comprises, under regeneration conditions, contacting a deactivated and metal-contaminated cracking catalyst with an oxygen-containing gas to obtain a regenerated and metal-contaminated catalyst; contacting the regenerated and metal-contaminated catalyst with a reducing gas under reduction conditions to obtain a reduced, regenerated and metal-contaminated catalyst and finally immediately contacting the reduced, regenerated and metal-contaminated cracking catalyst with a mixture of hydrogen and olefins to hydrogenate said olefins under hydrogenation conditions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,443 also discloses a process for converting hydrocarbons. The process comprises (1) contacting a hydrocarbon which contains metals with an active catalyst in a reaction zone under cracking conditions to obtain cracked products and a catalyst that has been partially deactivated and metal-contaminated; (2) separating the cracked products and the partially deactivated and metal-contaminated catalyst; (3) fractionating said cracked products into hydrogen, olefins and other hydrocarbons; (4) contacting said partially deactivated and metal-contaminated cracking catalyst with an oxygen-containing gas under regeneration conditions to obtain a regenerated and metal-contaminated catalyst; (5) circulating a part of said regenerated and metal-contaminated catalyst to said reaction zone (6) contacting the other part of the regenerated and metal-contaminated catalyst with a reducing gas under reduction conditions to obtain a reduced, regenerated and metal-contaminated catalyst; (7) contacting said reduced, regenerated and metal-contaminated catalyst with hydrogen and olefins under hydrogenation conditions to obtain hydrogenated olefins and a reduced, regenerated and metal-contaminated catalyst that is partially coked; (8) separating said hydrogenated olefins and said partially coked, reduced, regenerated and metal-contaminated catalyst; (9) circulating the hydrogenated olefins to the fraction system according to (3); (10) circulating the partially coked, reduced, regenerated and metal-contaminated catalyst to (4) to carry out regeneration.
In recent years, requirements of fuel standards worldwide become more and more stringent for the sake of environmental protection. For instance, in China, "Criteria for Controlling Hazardous Materials in Automobile Gasoline" was regulated by the National Quality Monitoring Bureau in 1999. Sulfur content in gasoline should be less than 800 ppm according to the requirement of the Criteria. More stringent requirement of gasoline sulfur content i.e. less than 30 ppm, is regulated according to the Europe III Emission Standard of Fuel Oil. In fact, more than 90% of sulfur in gasoline is from FCC gasoline. In the other hand, more and more sour crude from the middle-east countries are processed in many Chinese refineries as FCC feedstock; meanwhile, crudes are getting more and more heavier in recent years. Therefore, there needs to develop a cracking catalyst with higher cracking activity and desulfurizing ability and a cracking process with higher ability for cracking and desulfurizing of heavy oil.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,036,847 and its European counterpart patent EP 0,798,362A2 disclose a process for fluidized catalytic cracking of hydrocarbons, wherein said hydrocarbon feedstock is cracked in a cracking zone without adding hydrogen, and all particles, including catalyst particles, are circulated continuously between a cracking zone and a regeneration zone. In said process, besides said particles, there are additional particles which have a lower activity for cracking hydrocarbon oils than the catalyst particles, said activity being based on the fresh catalyst particles. The particles consist essentially of titanium oxide and an inorganic oxide other than non-titanium oxides. Said inorganic oxide other than non-titanium oxides contains a Lewis acid supported on alumina, and the Lewis acid is one selected from the group consisting of the following elements and their compounds: nickel, copper, zinc, silver, cadmium, indium, tin, mercury, thallium, led, bismuth, boron, aluminum (non alumina) and germanium. The sulfur content of FCC gasoline as the cracked product is decreased because of the use of a titanium oxide-containing additive.
CN1078094C discloses a riser reactor for fluid catalytic cracking that comprises, vertically from bottom to top along said rector, a coaxial pre-lifting section, a first reaction zone, a second reaction zone with an expanded diameter and an outlet zone with a reduced diameter, and a horizontal pipe connected to the end of said outlet zone. The first reaction zone and the second reaction zone of the reactor can not only process under different conditions of, but also feedstock oils with different properties can be processed in separate stages.
CN1076751C discloses a catalytic conversion process for preparing isobutane and isoalkane-rich gasoline, comprising feeding a preheated feedstock oil to a reactor having two reaction zones, contacting it with a hot cracking catalyst in the presence of a steam, carrying out primary and secondary reactions under cracking reaction conditions of a temperature of 530°-620° C. for 0.5-2 seconds in the first reaction zone and a temperature of 460-530° C. for 2-30 seconds in the second reaction zone, separating reaction products, feeding the spent catalyst that has been stripped to a regenerator, recycling the catalyst after coke thereon is burned.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Research Institute of Petroleum Processing, Sinopec


A system for and method of transmitting audio and visual programming content, by identifying an amount of broadcast transmission capacity available for transmitting the content to one or more users. The content is separated into at least first and second portions based on user demand for the content and/or the identified available broadcast transmission capacity. The first portion of the content is transmitted, to a receiver/STB associated with at least one of the users, using the identified broadcast transmission capacity; and the second portion of the content is transmitted to the receiver using transmission other than broadcast transmission. The content can include nonlinear content. Transmission other than broadcast transmission can include unicast transmission, which can be in response to a user request and/or an initiation by a server. The received nonlinear content can be stored at the receiver for play back at a time different from the time of transmission.

The general model of delivering of television programming content to viewers is based on a temporal schedule and channels for distributing television programming. Generally, to view a particular television programming content, a viewer finder the channel where the particular television programming content is offered and the time at which the television programming content is available for viewing. Viewers receive television programming broadcast through different tiers of services offered by cable television providers and satellite television providers. For example, without subscribing to a cable or satellite provider, a viewer is limited to receiving only local network broadcasts available in a particular region. The viewer is offered different levels of programming services when subscribing to a cable or satellite provider. The more the viewer pays, the more the number of channels of programming content is available to the user. In addition, the subscriber to the cable or satellite services is often offered a pay per view or on-demand service where movies or special features such as certain live events can be transmitted to the user for viewing at a one-time fee. However, the delivery of content to a subscriber of these cable and satellite service providers is done by one mode of transmission by each provider, such as cable or satellite or wireless broadcast, rather than a hybrid mode of transmission.
Other non-television based programming providers, such as movies or video-on-demand providers, use the Internet as a mode of delivering content. Such providers do not deliver any live television programming content. They only deliver videos and movies for play back at a viewer's home. In other words, such providers do not deliver live television programming or any sort of linear programming. They deliver only non-linear programming. Non-linear programming includes programs that cannot be viewed in real-time, and may be viewable only once after the programming content is downloaded. Such providers are limited to transmitting their programming content, such as movies, via the Internet.
In addition to television programming content and on-demand movie content, viewers are also increasingly interested in viewing audio and visual data such as video clips posted by others for sharing on the Internet. There is currently not one service provider available in the market to allow a viewer to view live television, on-demand movie content, and internet video clips. Many of the current modes of content delivery such as cable provider, satellite provider, and Internet movie-on-demand provider are expensive. Often, the offerings available to viewers are limited by the mode of delivery for which they are set up to receive. Most importantly, with the increasingly dynamic schedules in television viewers' lives, even with the availability of recording devices like digital video recorders (DVRs), video cassette recorders (VCRs), the current modes of television viewing still do not adequately adapt to the viewing behavior of viewers. Further, what viewers pay do not correlate to the amount of programming content they actually view.

OVER-THE-TOP NETWORKS PRIVATE LIMITED COMPANY


A pine tar carrier and dispenser for use by baseball and softball players that can be conveniently mounted on their wrist and forearm and that includes a pine tar applicator that can be safely covered up when not in use, but readily accessible while even at home plate for applying pine tar or pine tar substitute to a bat.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a pine tar (or sticky substance) dispenser for use with the game of baseball and specifically to a pine tar carrier and dispenser that can be carried at all times by the ballplayer for easy access during batting without disruption.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Pine tar is used in the game of baseball to provide a sticky coating on a baseball bat for better grip by a baseball hitter. Pine tar is a sticky dark pine tree derivative that is typically rubbed on a batter's gloves or bat to create a better grip. In the past, pine tar has been applied by rubbing the bat with a cloth or towel that is saturated with the sticky substance. A pine tar bat is a bat that has been rubbed with a pine tar rag to give the batter a better grip. Devices for applying pine tar are known. U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,943, issued to Stoffo on Oct. 29, 1991, shows an aid for improving the gripping of a hand held sporting implement that uses various cloths for dispensing pine tar.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,650 shows a pine tar applicator that is positioned in a form roller for support by the backstop or adjacent the hitting area. The major drawback with these devices is that for a batter to apply the pine tar to his gloves or to the bat, he must walk from home plate to the pine tar rag, during the batting cycle, and cause disruption of the game for the pine tar application. The present invention eliminates this inconvenience and slowdown of the game by having a pine tar applicator that is carried on the batter at all times in the form of a wrist band or other limb band. The invention further includes a convenient closure so that when not in use, the pine tar, or sticky substance, is hidden and cannot be misapplied or transferred to other surrounding objects The primary use is while a batter is at home plate or in a batting cage. For example, a batter can forget the pitching count (which could be embarrassing) by being distracted away from the home plate area while at bat in order to apply pine tar. The present invention also includes removable pine tar absorbent cloth panels that can allow the wrist band area and other portions of the device to be conveniently washed or cleaned when necessary.


A fixing mechanism disclosed in the present invention includes a body, a contact portion and an airtight sealing component. The body has a hollow structure and a first end and a second end. The first end is opposite to the second end. The first end passes through an open hole formed on a first object to insert into a positioning portion disposed on a second object, and an outer surface of the body is engaged with an inner surface of the positioning portion in a linear contacting manner. The contact portion is disposed on the second end. The contact portion contacts against a side of the first object opposite to the second object when the body passes through the first object and the second object. The airtight sealing component is disposed on the second end to seal the hollow structure, to prevent external gas from flowing into the hollow structure.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fixing mechanism, and more particularly, to a fixing mechanism without screws and having advantages of low cost and great yield.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A screw and a nut are generally utilized to assemble objects in conventional fixing technique. For assembly of a first object and a second object, an open hole is formed on the first object, a positioning portion is disposed on the second object, and a bridging component (such as a boss) is installed on the positioning portion. The screw passes through the open hole on the first object, and rotatably inserts into the boss on the positioning portion. A thread structure is formed on an inner wall of the boss, so that the screw can be tightly engaged with the boss via the thread structure to constrain a relative movement between the first object and the second object. The conventional screw fixing technique has drawbacks of expensive manufacturing cost due to the screw and the bridging component, high-priced assembly cost of disposing the bridging component on the positioning portion, long working hours and low product yield.