The invention relates to a method for capturing charged molecules of interest traveling in an electrolyte flow stream through an electrically non-conductive channel, comprising at least one anode and at least one cathode individually separated from said channel, but in electrical contact with said flow stream, by a conductive ion selective semi-permeable membrane. Said membrane interferes with the normal migration of ions towards its respective electrode, generating at least two zones of different electric field. Balance between hydrodynamic and electrical forces captures certain ions into the flow stream. it also relates to a device for performing the method.

Biotech industries and laboratories are pushed to increase their productivity, efficiency and to lower their costs. Since most of the work involves liquid handling using a broad range of instruments and methods (e.g. pipettes, centrifuges, ovens, vortexes, chromatographic procedures and electrophoretic devices), the full integration of all these steps into a single analytical platform has become a tentative route to low-cost and high-throughput analysis.
The concept of integration by miniaturization of analytical systems stems from the micro-scale electronic industry, which managed to integrate multiple electronic devices into centimeter scale structures to perform a multitude of electrical processes. Such devices are faster, cheaper and easily assembled for industrial scale production. From this field, terms such as microchannels, microfluidics and micropumps emerge as solutions for the integration of different analytical assays and methods into a single format. In addition to high throughput and low costs, miniaturization leads to a reduction of sample, sample loses, and reagent consumption as well as of waste production.
An ideal fully integrated microfluidic device should permit complete analysis, from sample introduction (sample storage and injection), via pre-treatment (sample clean-up, buffer exchange, concentration, mixing, dilution, and derivatization), to the final analysis (e.g. DNA and protein sequence analysis, mass spectrometry), Although a significant progress has been achieved in this field, (e.g. use of electroosmotic flow for sample manipulation and injection, incorporation of Capillary electrophoresis (CE) for DNA, protein and peptide separations), systems are far from performing a broad range of functions. In the following, we examine some important problems that remain to be resolved.
Enzymatic reactions are widespread in clinical diagnosis, industrial applications and academic research. The miniaturization of reactions gives several advantages in relation to conventional schemes, such as faster reactions using less reactants, possibility to perform more assays per unit area and the potential to combine reactions with on-line separations. An important field where microreactors are advantageous in relation to present technologies is in drug discovery. Since the screening for new drugs normally involves a large number of inhibition or activation assays for a particular enzyme, miniaturization of the enzymatic reaction would increase the throughput and decrease the amount of reactants, decreasing the total cost of the assays.
The problems related to incorporation of enzymatic reactions into micrometer scale structures are mainly difficulties to mix two or more solutions (reagent and substrate) and the construction of incubation chambers. One-step reactions can be carried out if the reaction time is not more than a few minutes to keep the diffusion of the analytes along the microchannel at an acceptable level. If it is a multiple step reaction, the situation is more complicated since these often demand removal of the reagent or exchange of the buffer, which leads to mixing problems in nanoliter channels.
Another approach is immobilization of the enzyme to a solid support. As will later be explained, some technological problems arise with such an approach. In addition, another drawback of using solid supports is that the immobilization step cannot be carried out long before the use of the device, due to the possibility of contamination and enzyme degradation, Because of the practical disadvantages and shortcomings of the present technologies, those methods are unlikely to be implemented into fully integrated microfluidic devices.
Sample Pretreatment
The problem to incorporate sample pretreatment into the microchip format is related to the fact that most methods are based on solid stationary phases. The molecules of interest are captured via their affinity to the solid support and once the sample is retained, another solution is employed to wash away salts and other nondesirable compounds which is followed by release of the captured molecules into a buffer suitable for further analysis. Since the molecules are retained to the solid support during sample loading and washing, a significant preconcentration effect is generally obtained. However, there is a problem to incorporate this technology into the micrometer size channel format since the solid support must be mechanically packed using fits, or else be chemically bonded to the wall of the channel. Both approaches are difficult to apply in large-scale production. Another limitation is the specific physical interaction employed to retain the biomolecules of interest. Because of the broad distribution of size, polarity and other molecular properties (e.g. DNA, proteins, peptides), different solid supports are necessary to use in different analytical situations, This is clearly disadvantageous since a different chip would be necessary to manufacture for every new type of component processed. Lastly, fouling of the solid supports due to contaminants and small particulates in real samples limits their use and their capacity for re-use.
Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a separation method with a high potential for use in the microchip format, which needs the incorporation of sample preparation to reach its full potential. The use of electrophoresis to separate DNA and proteins has been essential for the remarkable achievements of modern biological science. Although conventional slab gel electrophoresis is still very useful and widely used, CE is now the most powerful tool for DNA sequence analysis. In general, the advantages of CE are: higher speed, higher separation efficiency, reduced reagent volumes, and easier automation in relation to the slab gel technique.
The next step is implementation of CE into the chip format. Several parallel channels for electrophoresis can be built within a few centimeters including sample, buffers and waste reservoirs. Actually, Agilent Technologies is marketing a "Labchip" for DNA sizing, RNA analysis and protein separation. The microfabricated device is the simplest automated system for analysis of DNA, RNA and protein in the market. However, the system has no sample preparation capabilities. Desalting and removal of leftover nucleotides and templates is necessary for an adequate injection and separation of DNA. This step is, to some degree, the bottleneck in high-throughput DNA sequencing or analysis and eventually it will be a function necessary to implement onto chip systems. In addition, the use of small-bore capillaries limits the sample volume that can be injected to 1-10 nL and together with the short path-length available for optical detection systems, it is often necessary to include a preconcentration step for proper detection. Since proteins are not amplifyable, as is DNA, a preconcentration step is often needed for analysis by CE.
In summary, for a real analytical integration, the microfluidic approaches must find better methods to perform sample preparation and microreactions. The incorporation of these methods will lead to a significant increase in applicability to many fields, and thus increase the market share. For technological reasons, present technologies do not give a proper solution. The invention described here presents several advantages over the current technologies.

Method for capturing charged molecules traveling in a flow stream


A method of fabricating a semiconductor device is described. The method includes forming a nanosheet stack on a substrate, the nanosheet stack includes nanosheet channel layers. A gate is formed around the nanosheet channel layers of the nanosheet stack. A strained material is formed along a sidewall surface of the gate. The strained material is configured to create strain in the nanosheet channel layers of the nanosheet stack.

The present invention generally relates to fabrication methods and resulting structures for semiconductor devices, and more specifically, to nanosheet transistors with strained channel regions.
The metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) is a type of field effect transistor (FET) that can be used for switching electronic signals. The MOSFET has a source, a drain, and a metal oxide gate electrode. A channel region communicatively couples the source to the drain. The metal gate is electrically insulated from the channel region by a thin layer of insulating material, for example, silicon dioxide or high dielectric constant (high-k) dielectrics, which makes the input resistance of the MOSFET relatively high. The gate voltage controls whether or not the channel region conducts, thereby determining whether or not the path from the source through the channel region to drain is an open circuit ("off") or a resistive path ("on").
FETs can be n-type (NFET) or p-type (PFET). NFETs use negatively charged particles (electrons) as the majority carriers and are created by doping the source and drain regions with so-called n-type dopants that create negatively charged majority carriers in the source and drain regions. PFETs use positively charged particles (holes) as the majority carriers and are created by doping the source and drain regions with so-called p-type dopants that create positively charged majority carriers in the source and drain regions. In contemporary semiconductor device fabrication processes, a large number of NFETs and PFETs are fabricated on a single wafer. Non-planar transistor device architectures, such as nanosheet (or nanowire) transistors, can provide increased device density and increased performance over planar FETs. Nanosheet transistors, in contrast to conventional planar FETs, include a gate stack that wraps around the full perimeter of multiple nanosheet channel regions for improved control of channel current flow.

Nanosheet transistors with transverse strained channel regions

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


An object is to provide a water absorbent resin composition containing a water absorbent resin as a main component, with excellent deodorant property and antimicrobial property without impairing appearance and absorption characteristics of the water absorbent resin. The water absorbent resin composition according to the first aspect includes a water absorbent resin containing a polyacrylic acid (salt)-based water absorbent resin as a main component, and an extract of bamboo and an extract of tea. The water absorbent resin composition according to the second aspect includes a water absorbent resin containing a polyacrylic acid (salt)-based water absorbent resin as a main component, and at least two kinds of compounds selected from a group consisting of hexanoic acid (salt), ethyl butyrate, and 3-methyl-2-cyclopenten-1-one. In addition, the method for producing the water absorbent resin composition according to the third aspect includes the step of adding an alcoholic solution of an extract of bamboo, before or after polymerization of an unsaturated monomer containing an acrylic acid (salt) as a main component.

In recent years, a water absorbent resin has been widely used in absorbent articles such as a disposable diaper, a sanitary napkin and an incontinent pad, as an absorbent material to absorb body liquid such as urine or blood.
As the water absorbent resin, for example, there have been known a cross-linked product of partially neutralized polyacrylic acid, a hydrolysate of a starch-acrylonitrile graft polymer, a neutralized product of a starch-acrylonitrile graft polymer, a saponified product of a vinyl acetate-acrylate ester copolymer, a cross-linked product of carboxymethylcellulose, a hydrolysate of an acrylonitrile copolymer or an acrylamide copolymer, or a cross-linked product thereof, a cross-linked product of a cationic monomer, a cross-linked isobutylene-maleic acid copolymer, and a cross-linked product of 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid and acrylic acid or the like.
It is desirable that the water absorbent resin is superior generally in absorbency, absorption rate in contacting with aqueous liquid such as body liquid, liquid permeability, gel strength of a swollen gel, as well as water absorbing characteristics such as sucking amount to suck up water from a substrate containing aqueous liquid. In addition, it is desirable that the water absorbent resin to be used for, in particular, a diaper or the like, is provided with deodorant function and antimicrobial function, other than such absorbing characteristics. Under these circumstances, various investigations have been performed to furnish deodorant function and antimicrobial function by adding deodorant or antimicrobial agent to the water absorbent resin.
As an attempt to furnish deodorant function and antimicrobial function to the water absorbent resin, there has been proposed a method for adding various deodorants and/or antimicrobial agents in combination. For example, in JP-A-60 (1985)-158861, there is described a water absorbent resin composition (a water absorbing agent) composed of the water absorbent resin and an extract of leaves of a Theaceae plant. In JP-A-11 (1999)-241030, there is described a water absorbent resin composition containing an extract essence of a coniferous tree and the water absorbent resin having specific performance. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,980,879, there is described a deodorant water absorbent resin composition dispersed with zeolite particles inside the water absorbent resin. In JP-A-12 (2000)-051339, there is described a persistent antimicrobial deodorant provided with a powder of at least one kind of an extract of horseradish, an extract of mustard, or allyl isothiocyanate, and a water absorbent gelling agent as a persistent agent to maintain antimicrobial and deodorant action of said powder. In WO00/001479, there is described a powder-like water absorbent resin composition, having deodorant property and antimicrobial property, composed of the water absorbent resin, a compound having antimicrobial function against an ammonia-producing bacteria, and a drug having neutralization capability or the neutralization capability and adsorption capability against ammonia. In US-A-2001/0053807, there is described a water absorbent resin composition etc. containing a water-soluble deodorant in a specific water absorbent resin.
In addition, there have been performed also attempts to furnish deodorant function to the absorbent articles used the water absorbent resin. For example, in JP-A-02 (1990)-041155, there are described absorbent articles containing a tea product and a water absorbent resin. In JP-A-63 (1988)-135501, there is described a disposable diaper containing a resin having benzalkonium chloride and/or chlorhexidine gluconate in a water absorbent resin.
Further, there have been reported various attempts other than the above. For example, in JP-A-04 (1992)-139104, there is described a gel-like pesticide obtained by making absorbed aqueous emulsion having a volatile monoterpene-based compound as a main component, into a water absorbent resin. In JP-A-03 (1991)-059075, there is described a production method for an antimicrobial resin composition provided with an antimicrobial coating film at the surface of a water absorbent resin, by removing a volatile solvent, after adhering a liquid dissolved with or dispersed with an antimicrobial agent in the volatile solvent, onto the water absorbent resin. In JP-A-05 (1993)-179053 and JP-A-07 (1995)-165981, there is described a water absorbent resin containing a phosphate salt furnished with an antimicrobial property. In JP-A-11 (1999)-116829, there is described a water absorbent resin composition composed of a water absorbent resin, tannic acid (salt) and a composite silicate compound. In JP-A-09 (1997)-208787, there is described a water absorbent resin composition having a natural antimicrobial component extracted from a grape-fruit seed and/or herb included into or supported onto a water absorbent resin. In US-A-2003/0004479 and US-A-2004/0048955, there is described a particle-like water absorbent resin composition containing a plant powder and a surface-treated water absorbent resin, and having a malodor removing index of equal to or higher than 180. In US-A-2004-157989, there is described a water absorbent resin composition bound with cyclodextrin and/or a cyclodextrin derivative on a water absorbent resin by a covalent bond and/or an ionic bond. In WO01/41819, there is described a water absorbent resin composition composed of a water absorbent resin and a silver salt or colloidal silver.

Water absorbent resin composition and method for producing the same


A method and apparatus are provided for inserting an address at the beginning of a data stream that is being transferred through a FIFO buffer (65). The address is inserted at the beginning of the data stream to prevent the address from being lost. An address decoder (102) is used to identify a range of addresses that can access the FIFO buffer (65). The address may also contain header information for determining the destination of the data stream in a data processing system (20), and also contain information for controlling how the data stream is to be processed in the data processing system (20).

Digital signal processing is the arithmetic processing of read-time signals sampled at regular intervals and digitized. A digital signal processor (DSP) provides digital signal processing functions such as filtering, mixing, and comparison of signals. In some data processing systems, a DSP may be included with a host processor to deal with the digital signal processing chores. A host processor may include, for example, a microcomputer or a microprocessor.
Occasionally it may be necessary for relatively large amounts of data to be transferred between the host processor and the DSP. When data is transferred between the two processors, a direct transfer may not be possible, because of incompatibilities between the two processors, such as, for example, the two processors may operate with different clocks. In this case, an asynchronously operated buffer memory may be used. The data is first transferred in bursts to the buffer memory by the transmitting processor before it can be received by the receiving processor. However, a buffer memory may require a large amount of valuable surface area on an integrated circuit, be expensive to implement, and slow down processing because all of the data must been transferred before the data can be processed.
To eliminate the relatively large buffer memory, a smaller first-in, first-out (FIFO) buffer is sometimes used to interface the host processor with the receiving processor. A FIFO buffer is a memory unit that outputs data in the same order as the data is received. When a relatively large amount of data is transferred, the FIFO buffer is accessed by the transmitting processor by a range of addresses. The range of addresses may also identify the destination in the receiving processor, such as, for example, the address in a memory of the receiving processor where the data is to be stored. Also, the address may also contain header information that is important for determining how the data is to be processed and where. However, when transferring the data through a FIFO buffer, the address may be lost unless some provision is made for saving the address, such as a separate address register in the receiving processor.

Apparatus and method for inserting an address in a data stream through a FIFO buffer


Disclosed herein is a wireless power transmission system, including: a transmission unit generating and transmitting power for charging a battery; a reception unit receiving the transmitted power and charging the battery with power; and a transmission control unit detecting a charging status of the battery by using the transmitted power, and, if the charging status of the battery is in a damage section due to reflective power, controlling the transmission unit to transmit power lower than power of a normal operation, whereby damage of transmission and reception devices due to a reflective wave can be minimized.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a wireless power transmission system that wirelessly charges a battery for driving an electronic device, and a method of controlling the wireless power transmission system, and more particularly, to a wireless power transmission system capable of minimizing damage due to a reflective wave generated when a battery is charged, and a method of controlling the wireless power transmission system.
2. Description of the Related Art
A variety of portable electronic products has been recently launched and distribution thereof has been remarkably increasing along with development of IT technology. Such portable electronic products are used while users are moving, and thus the performance of batteries is important.
Charging devices for charging batteries of portable electronic products with electricity supply power to battery packs using a terminal supply method.
However, in a case where charging devices and batteries are connected to or disconnected from each other, since terminals of charging devices and batteries have different electric potentials, discharging phenomenon may instantly occur in terminals. Further, impurities may be collected in terminals of charging devices and batteries over time, which causes fire or reduction in life and deterioration of performance of charging devices and batteries.
A wireless power transmission system has been proposed to solve the problem of the terminal supply method. In the wireless power transmission system, a transmission device generates electric energy and transmits the electric energy wirelessly, and a reception device receives the electric energy wirelessly and charges a battery with the electric energy. To achieve stability of the battery and efficiency of the wireless power transmission system, the battery is quickly charged with constant current until a charging voltage of the battery reaches a previously set voltage in a constant current (CC) mode, and the battery is charged with low current while maintaining the charging voltage of the battery constant if the charging voltage of the battery reaches the previously set voltage in a constant voltage (CV) mode.
However, the conventional wireless power transmission system has a problem in that the electric energy transmitted by the transmission device is partially received in the reception device and is charged in the battery in a section (a first section) in which the CC mode is changed into the CV mode, and the remaining electric energy acts as a reflective wave and damages the transmission and reception devices.
Furthermore, the above-described problem also takes place in a physical discharging section (a second section) in which the voltage charged in the battery is completely discharged since portable electronic products are not used for a long time or in an initial charging section (a third section) in which the battery is electrically cut-off discharged. In this regard, the first, second, and third sections are united and referred to as an NDR section.

Wireless power transmission system and method of controlling the same


A non-contact IC apparatus is provided in a simple configuration with a plurality of IC chips, while enabling reliable communication. A non-contact IC apparatus 1 has a plurality of IC chips 30, 50, an antenna 11 for receiving a radio wave for non-contact IC apparatus, a modem part 12 for acquiring a signal from the radio wave received by the antenna 11, and a distribution control part 13 for selecting an IC chip to receive the signal, out of the plurality of IC chips 30, 50, based on the signal acquired by the modem part 12, and for transmitting the signal to the selected IC chip.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a non-contact IC apparatus and a control method in the non-contact IC apparatus.
2. Related Background of the Invention
There are conventional non-contact IC (Integrated Circuit) cards configured to perform communication with a reader/writer by radio wave (which are also called Smart Cards outside Japan). The above is described, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. JP-A2005-11009. The non-contact IC cards are used in various places, for example, in such a manner that a value such as electronic money, information for authentication, or the like is stored therein.

Non-contact IC apparatus and control method


A container for shipping and/or storing a stack of paper is disclosed. The container, according to a disclosed embodiment, comprises a bottom wall and first and second upright, opposing side walls extending from respective edges of the bottom wall. First and second shell portions are connected in a pivotal manner to respective edges of the bottom wall. The shell portions are pivotable toward and away from each to close and open the container, respectively. When the container is closed, the stack is securely contained between the shell portions and the side walls for shipping or storing. When the container is opened, at least two opposing sides of the stack are exposed to facilitate removal of paper from the container. A handle for carrying or lifting the container may be coupled to one of the shell portions.

Corrugated containers for accommodating loose sheets of paper are well-known. The side walls of known containers are formed to substantially define the dimensions of the sheets of the paper packed therein to prevent movement of the loose sheets within the container, and thereby minimize damage to the edges of the sheets. Typically, such containers are provided with either a removable lid or a lid that is hingedly secured to the container to permit access to the paper through an open top. However, since there is little clearance between the sheets and the side walls, it is difficult to remove the paper without tilting or inverting the container to cause the paper to slide out through the open container top. This causes the edges of the paper sheets to misalign as they slide out from the container and sometimes results in folding and/or tearing of sheets, particularly the edges. Any damage to the paper edges can adversely affect the runability performance when it is loaded into a printing or photocopying device. In addition, if paper misalignment occurs, an operator of the printing/photocopying device must orderly stack the loose paper sheets, with all the edges of the sheets in alignment, so that the sheets can be properly loaded into the printing device.
In another configuration of a conventional paper container, access to the paper is provided by a side wall that is pivoted downwardly to expose one side of the paper stack. This requires using one hand to remove paper from the container, which limits the amount of paper a user can easily remove from the container in an orderly fashion.
In addition, current paper containers typically use a plastic strap and/or an adhesive strip to keep the container closed during shipping and handling. This structure requires additional expense and effort. In some cases, box cutters or scissors must be used to open the container to remove the paper.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a new and improved container for packaging cut sheets of paper.

Container for shipping and storing paper


The present invention provides improved compositions for improving the chemical and physical stability of peptides and proteins. The invention provides a liquid beneficial agent formulation containing a liquid suspension comprising at least 5% by weight beneficial agent and having a viscosity and beneficial agent size which minimizes settling of the agent in suspension over the extended delivery period.

Proteins, as well as many other biologically active compounds, degrade over time in aqueous solution. Because of this chemical instability, protein solutions are often not suitable for use in drug delivery devices. Carriers, in which proteins do not dissolve but rather are suspended, can often offer improved chemical stability. Furthermore, it can be beneficial to suspend the beneficial agent in a carrier when the agent exhibits low solubility in the desired vehicle. However, suspensions can have poor physical stability due to settling and agglomeration of the suspended beneficial agent. The problems with non-aqueous carriers tend to be exacerbated as the concentration of the active compound is increased.
For drug delivering implants, dosing durations of up to one year are not unusual. Beneficial agents which have low therapeutic delivery rates are prime candidates for use in implants. When the device is implanted or stored, settling of the beneficial agent in the liquid formulation can occur. This heterogeneity can adversely effect the concentration of the beneficial agent dispensed. Compounding this problem is the size of the implanted beneficial agent reservoir. Implant reservoirs are generally on the order of 25-250 .mu.l. With this volume restriction, a formulation of high concentration (greater than or equal to 10%) and a minimum amount of suspension vehicle and other excipients is preferred.
Alpha interferon (.alpha.-IFN) is one example of a beneficial agent which provides a therapeutic effect at a low dose. This interferon is indicated in the treatment of chronic hepatitis because of its antiviral activity. Prescribed therapy presently entails injections of .alpha.-IFN solution, containing about 3.0.times.10.sup.6 IU (15 micrograms) of agent per dose, three times per week for a 4 to 6 month period. Frequent injections are required because of the short elimination half-life of .alpha.-IFN; most of the drug being completely cleared from the plasma within eight to ten hours after the injection.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,871,538 issued to Yim et al; 4,847,079 issued to Kwan et al; 5,081,156 issued to Yamashira et al, and European Publication No. 0,281,299 issued to Yim et al describe IFN/peptide compositions with concentrations between 10.sup.4 to 10.sup.8 IU/ml. In Kwan et al a pharmaceutical solution having a .alpha.-IFN concentration of 10.sup.3 to 10.sup.8 IU/ml is described. Yim describes a dosage range being between 10.sup.4 to 10.sup.8 IU .alpha.-IFN/ml. In Yim II, an insoluble complex including .alpha.-IFN, zinc, and protamine is suspended in a phosphate buffer. Yim I, Yim II, and Kuan, however, teach the use, in part, of an aqueous buffer in their compositions. This leads to possible hydrolysis of the compound, leading to chemical degradation and instability. Yamashira teaches a sustained release preparation of interferon in a n mixture with a biodegradable carrier. IFN is incorporated at concentrations of 10.sup.3 to 10.sup.8 IU per 1 mg of carrier or, alternatively, each dosage form containing 10.sup.4 to 10.sup.9 IU of interferon. Furthermore, while the patents and publications described above describe concentrations between 10.sup.4 to 10.sup.9 IU/ml, none describe concentrations on the order of 10.sup.9 to 10.sup.11 IU/ml.
There is a need for a novel composition comprising a nonaqueous suspension vehicle and concentrated protein/peptide as the beneficial agent for use in implanted, sustained release devices. While it is known in the art to achieve stable .alpha. IFN concentrations of up to 10.sup.8 IU/ml, this invention utilizes a novel combination whose combined effect produces a significant and surprising improvement in the physical and chemical stability of the beneficial agent compound over other formulations.


An internal combustion engine comprises a first exhaust manifold, a second exhaust manifold, a first turbocharger having a first turbine and a first compressor, and a second turbocharger having a second turbine and a second compressor. A second gas inlet port of the second turbine is connected in fluid communication with a second exhaust manifold to receive at least a portion of second combustion gases. A second gas outlet port of the second turbine and the first exhaust manifold are in fluid communication with a first gas inlet port of the first turbine. A valve is connected in fluid communication with the second exhaust manifold to receive a remainder of exhaust gases not included in the at least a portion of the second combustion gases supplied to the second turbine. The valve is connected in fluid communication with a mixer to deliver at least a portion of the remainder of exhaust gases to the mixer for mixing with compressed air in the mixer.

This invention relates generally to an internal combustion engine and, more particularly, to a two turbocharger engine emission control system for an internal combustion engine.
An exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system is used for controlling the generation of undesirable pollutant gases and particulate matter in the operation of internal combustion engines. Such systems have proven particularly useful in internal combustion engines used in motor vehicles such as passenger cars, light duty trucks, and other on-road motor equipment. EGR systems primarily recirculate the exhaust gas by-products into the intake air supply of the internal combustion engine. The exhaust gas which is introduced to the engine cylinder reduces the concentration of oxygen therein, which is turn lowers the maximum combustion temperature within the cylinder and slows the chemical reaction of the combustion process, decreasing the formation of nitrous oxides (NOx). Furthermore, the exhaust gases typically contain unburned hydrocarbons which are burned on reintroduction into the engine cylinder, which further reduces the emission of exhaust gas by-products which would be emitted as undesirable pollutants from the internal combustion engine.
In many EGR applications, the exhaust gas is diverted by a poppet-type EGR valve directly from the exhaust manifold. The percentage of the total exhaust flow which is diverted for reintroduction into the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine is known as the EGR flow rate of the engine.
Some internal combustion engines include turbochargers to increase engine performance, and are available in a variety of configurations. For example, fixed housing turbochargers have a fixed exhaust inlet nozzle which accelerates exhaust gas towards a turbine wheel, which in turn rotates a compressor. Also, a variable nozzle turbocharger (VNT) has a variable nozzle having a ring of a plurality of variable vanes which are controlled to change the cross sectional area through which the exhaust gases pass to reach the turbine. In a VNT, the smaller the nozzle opening, the faster the gas velocity to the turbine, and in turn, the higher the boost. Still further, it is known to provide a turbocharger having two independent compressors, which is known as a double sided compressor. Use of a single turbocharger of the types described above, however, constrain the operation and configuration of an EGR system for use with an internal combustion engine.
When utilizing EGR in a turbocharged diesel engine, the exhaust gas to be recirculated is often removed upstream of the exhaust gas driven turbine associated with the turbocharger. The recirculated exhaust gas is typically introduced to the intake air stream downstream of the compressor and air-to-air after-cooler (ATAAC). Reintroducing the exhaust gas downstream of the compressor and ATAAC is preferred in some systems due to the reliability and maintainability concerns that arise if the exhaust gas passes through the compressor and ATAAC.
In other systems, such as a system having a double sided turbocharger, a gas flow from an EGR valve may be directed to a secondary compressor inlet of the turbocharger. A separate EGR cooler is provided upstream of a secondary compressor inlet to cool the EGR gas prior to being received by the secondary compressor. In addition, a bypass circuit may be provided around the EGR cooler to adjust the amount of cooling of the EGR gas by the EGR cooler. Such a system, however, is subject to the negative effects of condensation and associated corrosion.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems or disadvantages associated with the prior art.
In one aspect of the invention, an internal combustion engine is provided comprising a block defining a plurality of combustion cylinders, the plurality of combustion cylinders having at least a first group of combustion cylinders and a second group of combustion cylinders. A first exhaust manifold is connected to the first group of combustion cylinders to receive first combustion gases from the first group of combustion cylinders. A second exhaust manifold is connected to the second group of combustion cylinders to receive second combustion gases from the second group of combustion cylinders. A first turbocharger is provided having a first turbine and a first compressor, the first turbine having a first gas inlet port and a first gas outlet port, the first compressor having a first air inlet port and a first air outlet port, the first gas inlet port being connected in fluid communication with the first exhaust manifold, and the first air inlet port of the first compressor being in fluid communication with the atmosphere. A second turbocharger is provided having a second turbine and a second compressor, the second turbine having a second gas inlet port and a second gas outlet port, the second compressor having a second air inlet port and a second air outlet port, the second gas inlet port being connected in fluid communication with the second exhaust manifold to receive at least a portion of the second combustion gases, the second gas outlet port being connected in fluid communication with the first gas inlet port of the first turbine, and the second air inlet port of the second compressor being in fluid communication with the first air outlet port of the first compressor. A mixer is provided having a first input port, a second input port and an output port, the first input port being coupled to the second air outlet port to receive compressed air from the second turbocharger, and the output port being in fluid communication with the plurality of combustion cylinders. A valve is connected in fluid communication with the second exhaust manifold to receive a remainder of exhaust gases not included in the at least a portion of the combustion exhaust gases received by the second turbine, the valve being connected in fluid communication with the second input port of the mixer to deliver at least a portion of the remainder of exhaust gases to the mixer for mixing with the compressed air in the mixer.
In another aspect of the invention, a method of providing engine emission control for an internal combustion engine is provided, comprising the steps of: providing a first turbocharger having a first turbine and a first compressor, the first turbine having a first gas inlet port and a first gas outlet port, the first compressor having a first air inlet port and a first air outlet port; providing a second turbocharger having a second turbine and a second compressor, the second turbine having a second gas inlet port and a second gas outlet port, the second compressor having a second air inlet port and a second air outlet port; supplying first combustion gases from a first group of combustion cylinders to a first exhaust manifold; supplying second combustion gases from a second group of combustion cylinders to a second exhaust manifold; supplying the first combustion gases from the first exhaust manifold to the first gas inlet port of the first turbine; supplying at least a portion of the second combustion gases from the second manifold to the second gas inlet port of the second turbine; supplying exhaust gases expelled from the second gas outlet port of the second turbine to the first gas inlet port of the first turbine; supplying fresh air to the first air inlet port of the first compressor from the atmosphere; compressing the fresh air by the first compressor to form first stage compressed air; supplying the first stage compressed air from the first compressor to the second air inlet port of the second compressor; compressing the first stage compressed air with the second compressor to form second stage compressed air; supplying the second stage compressed air to a mixer; and supplying to the mixer at least a portion of a reminder of exhaust gases not included in the at least a portion of the second combustion gases supplied to the second turbine, for mixing with the second stage compressed air to form a mixture.

Two turbocharger engine emission control system


A cleaning and disinfecting apparatus for medical equipment and instruments is provided. The apparatus includes at least one feed line constructed so as to be coupled for the supply of cleansing liquid and at least one outlet line for the discharge of spent cleansing liquid. A transportation and cleaning vessel is further provided which receives the articles to be cleaned and is adapted to be placed in and taken out of the apparatus. The vessel has at least one inlet and at least one outlet, the inlet being adapted to be connected to the feed line and the outlet being adapted for coupling to the discharge line. The inlets and outlets can be closed by non-return flaps on valves which are in closed position when inoperative and are opened by pressurized fluid.

1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates to a cleaning and disinfecting apparatus for medical equipment and instruments, especially for anesthetic tubes, catheters, and endoscopes comprising at least one feed line adapted to be coupled for the supply of cleansing liquid and at least one outlet line for the discharge of spent cleansing liquid.
2. Description of the Related Art
A machine or apparatus of the above mentioned kind, referred to also as a disinfecting --rinsing apparatus, is known from DE 37 10 517 A1which is not a prior publication. In that case an endoscope is introduced partly into a tube inside the washing apparatus and a cleansing liquid is passed under pressure through the tube, whereby the cleaning conditions are improved. The head of the endoscope which should not get into contact with the cleansing liquid is held in a molded member which is largely liquid tight with respect to the washing space. In addition pressurized air is applied to the molded member so as to prevent the entry of cleansing liquid.
Endoscopes are cleaned very well with the known machine. However, the transportation of cleaned and disinfected endoscopes within the patient rooms still causes problems. When endoscopes are taken out of the disinfecting washer they are no longer protected from the moment against any renewed contamination. Still more problematic is the transportation of used instruments, in other words devices that are contaminated and must be brought to the disinfecting machine. While on their way, they pose a risk of contamination to the whole surroundings, including patients and staff.

Cleaning and disinfecting machine for medical equipment and instruments, anesthetic tubes, catheters, and endoscopes


A foam interlining device for swimming pools with pressure activated adhesive is shown. The device is disposed between the pool liner and the swimming pool backup wall. The interlining is also constructed with both a mounting adhesive and a self-sealing coating. The self-sealing coating seals minor punctures and tears of the pool liner. In one embodiment, the edge of the interlining also functions as an expansion joint between a deck and the swimming pool coping and as an underlayment or sill seal for the coping. The interlining device is also shown premounted on the backup-wall-side of the pool liner.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an adhesive-bearing, interlining for installation between the backup wall and the liner of a swimming pool. In general terms, the interlining softens any shocks experienced by the liner and thereby acts as a protective shield. The interlining has significant insulative qualities and further serves to reduce thermal losses from the swimming pool. Thus, in geographic areas requiring pool heating the interlining enhances energy conservation. In one embodiment, the polymeric foam interlining is coated on both sides with adhesives—a mounting adhesive with appropriate tackiness for adhering to a concrete or metal backup wall on one side and a self-sealing adhesive with appropriate tackiness for sealing minor punctures and tears in the liner on the other side.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past swimming pools have been constructed with various backup walls of concrete or metal which, in turn, have been adapted to in-ground and above-ground structures. To these walls, liners have been attached by an endless variety of wall-to-liner connections. There has been some use of polymeric foam in and around such walls.
In a patent to Watson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,351, the use of planar structural foam sections is described for underlayment of above-ground pools. These panels are installed in a tile-like arrangement with caulking and taping thereover. This application cushions the swimmer impact on the bottom of the pool and helps prevent or reduce the severity of shallow diving injuries. Other patents describe the use of rigid foam panels surrounding above-ground pools as insulation for heat loss reduction.
In Cornelius et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,662,383, a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) liner installation is described as first requiring laying a fiber blanket over the walls of the pool. This, according to the patent specification, allows the PVC liner to expand and contract with the underlying pool structure.
In the marketplace, several companies offer foam materials and spray adhesive to apply to the backup walls of swimming pools. The task of application is awkward, messy, and time-consuming and is somewhat akin to an old fashioned wallpapering task. The awkwardness exceeds the wallpapering task as in this case the foam rolls are 3.5 ft. by 125 ft.
Because the inventor hereof has extensive experience in developing and marketing peel-and-stick products for the building construction industry, the development of the within foam interlining has the benefit of the most advanced adhesive technology.
The pool liners are customarily and popularly structured from PVC and known as vinyl liners. The vinyl liners are frequently available in brilliant designer prints and are as a result highly decorative. Most vinyl liners are in the range of a 30 mil. thickness and, with use, are subject to minor punctures and tears that lead to water leaking into the interstitial area between the liner and the backup wall. This most frequently occurs in the uppermost 3 ft. Of the swimming pool.
Leaking liners has been addressed by such patents as William et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,296,730 which provides for application of underwater patches with adhesives suitable for use in an aqueous environment. Over time the repetitive use of patches, even with the best color matching, leads to a rather unaesthetic patchwork arrangement.
A more sophisticated approach to the leaking liner problem is attempted by Cornelius et al. In their U.S. Pat. No. 6,662,383 wherein a secondary liner sheet is heat sealed to the main liner. The patent describes the secondary or protective liner as extending part way or completely downwardly to the bottom of the main liner sheet.
While the above litany of technological shortcomings of swimming pool construction is not intended to be an exhaustive treatment of the subject matter, the reader of the specification which follows will discover that these and other problems are discussed. Especial emphasis will be placed on ease of installation, protection of the liner, use of advanced materials, and energy conservation through reduction of thermal losses.

Foam interlining device for swimming pools


The present invention provides a baked resin product that exhibits an excellent heat resistance and an electronic device that incorporates this baked resin product. The present invention provides a baked resin product obtained by baking a resin composition that contains a main chain-type aromatic benzoxazine structure, wherein the baked resin product has a peak measured by 13C-NMR at 58±2 ppm and a half width of this peak of 4 to 10 ppm. The present invention also provides a method of producing a baked resin product, comprising baking a resin composition that contains a main chain-type aromatic benzoxazine structure at 270° C. to 350° C. The present invention further provides an electronic device that incorporates this baked resin product.

Various resin compositions that exhibit an excellent heat resistance and excellent electrical properties have been developed and proposed as electronic devices and components that employ such resin compositions. For example, Patent Document 1 and Non-patent Documents 1 and 2 provide baked resin products, for example, films, obtained by baking a resin composition such as the film of a benzoxazine structure-containing precursor.
Patent Document 1 discloses the structure of a main chain-type aromatic benzoxazine constituted from bisphenol, an aromatic diamine, and formaldehyde; a resin composition comprising a BisA-BAPP-derived main chain-type aromatic benzoxazine; and the fact that the baking temperature for baking this composition is 180° C.
Non-patent Document 1 also discloses films obtained by heating each of the following to 240° C.: a precursor film comprising a main chain-type aromatic benzoxazine originating from methanedianiline (MDA), and a precursor film comprising a main chain-type aliphatic benzoxazine originating from hexamethylenediamine (HDA).
In addition, Non-patent Document 2 describes the governing temperature for the ring-opening polymerization of main chain-type benzoxazine and teaches that benzoxazine undergoes a complete ring-opening polymerization when curing is carried out by ring opening of the oxazine ring at the exothermic peak temperature from the exothermic peak in the DSC chart.
However, while the existing baked resin products do have fairly good electrical properties, at present their heat resistance has yet to reach acceptable levels. Moreover, there is also desire for improvements in the properties of electronic devices and components that employ baked resin products as insulating materials.    Patent document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2003-64180    Non-patent document 1: Takuya KANO, Tarek AGAG, and Tsutomu TAKEICHI, Synthesis and Ring-opening Polymerization of Symmetric High Molecular Weight Polybenzoxazine Precursors, Polymer Preprints, Japan, Volume 54, No. 1 (2005), p. 1818.    Non-patent document 2: Kazuya IIO, Tarek AGAG, and Tsutomu TAKEICHI, Synthesis and Ring-opening Polymerization of Asymmetric High Molecular Weight Polybenzoxazine Precursors, Polymer Preprints, Japan, Volume 54, No. 1 (2005), pp. 1818-1819.
An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a baked resin product that exhibits an excellent heat resistance.
An other object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device that incorporates this baked resin product.

Baked resin product and electronic device comprising the same


The present invention provides a spunbonded non-woven fabric having excellent productivity, stretchability, touch and fuzz resistance without adhesion thereof on a roll and the like just after fiber deposition during the production. The spunbonded non-woven fabric comprises long fibers of a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (A) containing ethylene bisoleic acid amide and/or crosslinked organic fine particles and having a hardness of 75 to 85, and the spunbonded non-woven fabric comprises the long fibers of the thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (A) and long fibers of a thermoplastic resin (B) other than the thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (A). The present invention also provides uses thereof.

In recent years, non-woven fabrics are used widely for various kinds of uses because of having excellent permeability and flexibility. On this account, non-woven fabrics are required to have various properties according to their uses and the properties are required to be further improved.
For example, non-woven fabrics used for sanitary materials such as paper diapers, sanitary napkins and the like, and base fabric such as wet compress pack materials and the like are required to have water resistance and excellent moisture permeability. Furthermore, the non-woven fabrics are required to have stretchability and bulk properties according to a portion for use.
Examples of a method of adding stretchability to the non-woven fabrics are a method of using a thermoplastic elastomer as a material for a spunbonded non-woven fabric (referred to Patent document 1), a method of using mixed fibers which comprise fibers made of a polymer containing a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer and fibers made of a thermoplastic polymer other than the thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer as fibers for forming a non-woven fabric (referred to Patent document 2). Moreover, differing to the addition of stretchability, a long fiber non-woven fabric obtainable by combining adhesive fibers made of a hydrogenated styrene block copolymer and non-adhesive fibers and the like are variously proposed (referred to Patent document 3).
Mixing the fibers made of the thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, stretchability is added. Moreover, stretchability (elastic recovery properties) is desired according to the use. As a method of increasing stretchability, there is a method of using a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer having a low hardness and excellent elastic recovery properties.
However, a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer having a low hardness is soft. In producing a spunbonded non-woven fabric by mixing fibers made of a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer having a low hardness, the fibers prepared just after deposition are easily deformed by a rotational device that a linear pressure is applied on the deposited fibers such as calendar roller (for example, referred to Patent document 4), or a conveyer, and thereby the contact area is increased. In the case that fusion bonding of the fibers is insufficient, there is a possibility that the fibers adhere to the rotational device and the insufficient fusion bonding has an industrial problem.
For example, in a process that a web which comprises only long fibers made of a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, prepared by a spun bonding method are fusion bonded each other completely or no completely and unified in the step of contacting the web with a rotational device, since a force of generating a peeling force higher than an adhesion force functions in a mechanical direction, fusion bonding is hard to be caused. In the case of producing a spunbonded non-woven fabric which comprises long fibers made of a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer and long fibers made of a thermoplastic polymer other than the thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, the fibers are hardly fusion bonded each other in the step of collecting the fibers on a conveyor after opening, and heterogeneous fibers are only deposited and the web is not unified. When the web is contacted with a rotational device such as a calendar roller and the like, the long fibers made of a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer are adhered on the rotational device at the beginning and the whole web is frequently wound around the rotational device in the end. The production has an industrial problem.
In a process of using mixed fibers which comprise fibers made of a polymer containing a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer and fibers made of a thermoplastic polymer other than the thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, a method of coating the roll surface with a silicon resin having a low surface free energy or a material of fluororesin is usually used in order to prevent adhesion of fibers to a roll and the like. The coating is worn away with progressing of the production, and at the time that the surface of a base layer is exposed, the fibers have a possibility of adhesion of the fibers to a roll and the like. The method is not preferred because of having an industrial problem.

Spunbonded non-woven fabric, production process for the fabric and use thereof


An acoustic signal processing device includes: a front signal processor which generates first L and R signals by performing signal processing on a first signal which is a front channel signal; a first adder which generates a fourth signal which is a left channel signal by adding the first L signal and a second signal which is a left channel signal; and a second adder which generates a fifth signal which is a right channel signal by adding the first R signal and a third signal which is a right channel signal. The front signal processor generates the first L and R signals by signal processing in which the first signal is distributed and placed at predetermined positions when the first signal is a dialog signal, and distributed and placed at positions different from the predetermined positions when the first signal is not a dialog signal.

When watching and listening to video and audio content such as dramas and movies through domestic television receivers or the like, there is a problem in that dialogue such as conversations and lines is hard to hear due to background sounds covering the dialogue, leading to a demand for improvements in the audibility of the dialogue.
In this regard, for the 22.2 ch multi-channel broadcast, there is a technique in which a given channel is set for dialogue only and acoustic signals for the channel can be selectively increased or reduced on the reproduction side (for example, refer to Non Patent Literature (NPL) 1). With the technique disclosed in NPL 1, it is possible to make dialogue easier to hear by increasing the sound volume of the dialogue alone.

Acoustic signal processing device and acoustic signal processing method


Driver circuits for switched-capacitor circuits are implemented using a variety of methods and devices. According to one such circuit, a switched-capacitor driver circuit is implemented for producing an output signal by driving a capacitive output load in response to step input signals. The driver circuit includes output circuitry that drives the capacitive output load toward a steady-state mode responsive to one of the step input signals and control circuitry that, before realizing the steady-state mode, inhibits the output circuitry from driving the capacitive output load to the steady-state mode.

Many circuits drive a capacitive load in response to an input signal. Often the circuits are designed to drive the capacitive load to a certain charge or voltage while in a drive mode. Once the capacitive load reaches the charge or voltage the circuit enters a mode where the charge or voltage is maintained. Such a mode is sometimes referred to as the steady-state mode because the charge or voltage is essentially constant. In many such circuits it is desirable that the voltage or charge on the capacitive load accurately represent the steady-state mode. For instance, one such drive circuit is an amplifier circuit in which the charge or voltage at the steady-state mode represents an amplified input signal.
After the circuit begins to drive the capacitive load, the time necessary to guarantee that the circuit has reached a steady-state mode is sometimes referred to as the settling time. This time is relevant to both the speed of the circuit and the power dissipation of the device. In some applications the settling time can be reduced by increasing the drive strength of the circuit, however, this can result in increased power dissipation and can also cause ringing of the charge or voltage on the load. As devices decrease in size (e.g., portable devices) and increase in accuracy, the competing desires for increased accuracy and decreased power dissipation become more difficult to accomplish.
Particular examples of driver circuits are used in switched-capacitor circuits, such as analog to digital converters (ADCs). Two specific examples of ADCs are cyclic and pipeline, both of which have a first stage that produces a digital representation of the step input signal having a certain amount of precision. This digital representation is converted back to an analog signal and subtracted from the original input signal. The resulting signal represents a portion of the signal that was not accounted for by the precision of the digital representation. The resulting signal is applied to a driver circuit that often acts as an amplifier. The driver circuit drives a capacitive load that can be used to generate a digital representation having a higher amount of precision relative to the first amount of precision. In a cyclic ADC, the capacitive load is used as an input to the original ADC stage. In a pipeline ADC, the capacitive load is used as an input to a second ADC stage. For either type of ADC, the process can be repeated until the desired precision is obtained.
ADCs have increasing need for increased performance and reduced power dissipation as applications become both more complex and smaller in size. Because the output of the first stage can be amplified many times, errors in the first stage are also amplified. Thus, current applications using ADCs allow the driver circuit sufficient active time in order to guarantee that the driver circuit has reached the steady-state mode. Moreover, in order to reduce the settling time, ADCs use strong driver circuits that require large amounts of power. One reason for using strong driver circuits is that it is often undesirable to decrease the capacitive load as the decrease can result in increased errors due to process variations and electronic noise.
These and other issues have presented challenges to the implementation and design of driver circuits, including those involving switched-capacitor circuits and similar applications. Accordingly, there is a need for a capacitive drive circuit that provides increased accuracy or reduced power consumption.

Method and system for driver circuits of capacitive loads

The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University


The invention provides a method for the treatment of a subject suffering from a cardiovascular disease using a therapeutically effective amount of at least one enzyme that is capable of inhibiting PAI-1 activity. The invention also provides a method of decreasing the risk of the occurrence of a cardiovascular disease in a subject who presents at least one risk factor that is associated with a cardiovascular disease, by administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of at least one enzyme that is capable of inhibiting PAI-1 activity. Additionally, the invention provides a method of inhibiting PAI-1 activity in a subject in need thereof, where the subject is administered an enzyme selected from a protease or peptidase.

Plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) is the major negative regulator of tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA-1) and urokinase (uPA) in the fibrinolytic system (Q. Wu et al., Current Drug Targets—Cardiovascular & Haematological Disorders 2 (2002) 27-42). High levels of PAI-1 reduce fibrinolytic potential and can therefore contribute to the development of thrombosis. Thrombotic cardiovascular diseases are particularly evident in elderly populations, but they are also induced in a variety of pathologies associated with aging in general, such as obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes, emotional stress, immune responses, vascular sclerosis or remodeling, and cardiovascular disease generally (K. Yamamoto et al., Cardiovascular Research 66 (2005) 276-285; B. De Taeye et al., Current Opinion in Pharmacology 5 (2005) 149-154).
A number of PAI-1 inhibitors have been reported recently. These include small molecules, antibodies, and peptides (B. Ye et al., Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters 14 (2004) 761-765; A. Liang et al., Thrombosis Research 115 (2005) 341-350; C. N. Berry et al., British Journal of Pharmacology 125 (1998) 20-34; J. J. J. van Giezen et al., Thrombosis and Haemostasis 77 (1997) 964-969; P. R. Guzzo et al., Tetrahedron Letters 43 (2002) 41-43).
Despite the clear therapeutic potential of inhibiting PAI-1, enzymes that are capable of achieving this activity in vivo have not heretofore been identified. Subtilisin NAT (nattokinase) was shown recently to cleave PAI-1 in vitro, presumably by virtue of the enzyme's proteolytic activity, but a similar in vivo activity has not been reported (T. Urano et al., Journal of Biological Chemistry 276 (2001) 24690-24696).
There is a need, therefore, for enzymes that can be used in vivo to inhibit PAI-1.


The clay extruder includes a drum 2 having a screw 4 having a rotary shaft 6, a spiral rotary blade 5 for feeding the clay under pressure while kneading the clay fed into the screw, a pressure raising portion 10 to feed the clay under pressure while kneading the clay, and a rectifying portion 11 provided on the side of an extrusion port 20 in the drum 2 to rectify the clay into a columnar shape. The rectifying portion 11 has a rectifying rotary blade 7 whose intervals being longer than that of the rotary blade; an angle formed between the face on the side of the extrusion port in a sectional shape of the rectifying rotary blade cut along the central line of the rotary shaft 6 and the central line gradually decreases, as the rectifying rotary blade comes close to the extrusion port.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a clay extruder which is preferably used in manufacturing a columnar or a rectangular-columnar article including, for example, a ceramic raw material or the like. More particularly, it relates to a clay extruder capable of preventing the unevenness of a clay density caused by the rotation of a screw in the clay extruder to obtain a satisfactory a columnar or a rectangular-columnar article having high homogeneity.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, there have been known various extruders, which are used for kneading and homogenizing a clay including, for example, a ceramic material by the rotation of a screw in a drum to prepare a columnar or a rectangular-columnar article (e.g., see JP-A-9-94818 and JP-A-10-100131).
FIG. 2 is a schematic constitution diagram showing one example of a conventional clay extruder. In the conventional clay extruder, as shown in FIG. 2, a drum 2 has a structure in which a screw 34 is provided. A large shearing force is imparted to a clay fed from a supply port 19 into the drum 2 by the screw 34 in the drum 2, to knead and homogenize the clay. Then, the clay kneaded and homogenized in the drum 2 is extruded from an extrusion port 20 to manufacture a kneaded clay columnar article 31.
Moreover, as a manufacturing method of a ceramic honeycomb formed article, there is known a method of blending a ceramic material, water, a binder and the like; then preparing a large muddy lump as the clay by a kneader; degassing, kneading and homogenizing the clay by use of a clay extruder; preparing the columnar article by extrusion; and manufacturing a ceramic honeycomb formed article from this a columnar or a rectangular-columnar article by extrusion forming (a plunger type forming machine).
In this case, the columnar article is prepared by the clay extruder, but the density of the clay partially becomes uneven by the rotation of the screw of the clay extruder. Moreover, when a ceramic honeycomb structure is formed by extrusion using the columnar article, various formed article defects are generated.
Especially in recent years, the thinning of partition walls in the ceramic honeycomb structure has farther progressed. To prepare the ceramic columnar article for use in the formed article having such thin walls, homogeneity is remarkably intensely demanded, and the manufacturing steps of the columnar article need to be contrived to satisfy strict quality control requirements.
When the preparation of the ceramic honeycomb structure by the extrusion forming is performed by using the columnar article obtained by the conventional clay extruder having the structure shown in FIG. 2, unevenness is generated in the clay density of the columnar article by the rotation of the screw in the clay extruder, and the forming defect of the honeycomb structure is sometimes generated.
FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory view showing a tip structure of the screw 34 of a conventional clay extruder 30 shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a schematic explanatory view showing the density distribution of a clay in a part shown by a broken line part A of FIG. 3. In FIG. 4, a dark part indicates a highly dense state, and a bright part indicates a lowly dense state. The abscissa indicates a rotary shaft direction of the screw 34 (an extruding direction 41), and the ordinate indicates a drum diametric direction 42. A hatched region shown in FIG. 4 shows a section of the screw 34. As shown in FIG. 4, in an abscissa direction, a portion of the clay which directly receives a thrust force generated by the rotation of a rotary blade 35, that is, the clay which comes in contact with the face of the rotary blade 35 in the extrusion direction 41 is highly densified (a broken line part B). In an ordinate direction, when the clay moves following the rotation of the screw in the drum 2, a force is applied to the centrifugal direction of the drum diametric direction 42, and a frictional force between the clay and a drum inner wall 43 is generated, so that the clay which comes in contact with the drum inner wall 43 is highly densified. Moreover, the density of the clay lowers in the periphery of a rotary shaft 36 and near the face of the rotary blade 35 opposite to the extrusion direction 41 (a broken line part C).
Therefore, when the extrusion forming and the subsequent firing of the ceramic honeycomb structure are performed by using the columnar or columnar rectangular clay article obtained by the conventional clay extruder 30 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the density in the columnar or columnar rectangular clay article is uneven for the above reason, and hence various formed article defects or firing defects might be generated.
For example, FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view from the side surface of the columnar or columnar rectangular clay article 31 obtained by using the clay extruder 30 including the conventional screw tip structure of FIG. 3. As shown in this drawing, flow patterns 17 rotationally symmetrical with respect to a central line 16 of the columnar or columnar rectangular clay article 31 and curved in the extrusion direction 41 are formed owing to the density difference inside the clay.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged schematic sectional view of the flew pattern in a broken line part D of FIG. 5 near the central line 16 of the columnar or columnar rectangular clay article 31. In a structure shown in the drawing, a highly dense clay portion and a lowly dense clay portion are alternately laminated before and after the curved flow pattern 17 with respect to the central line 16.


A pair of back-to-back-coupled zener diodes is coupled from the input to the output of each leg of a common mode choke used in a LC circuit for reducing EMI into the power supply of an electrical device. The reversed biased zener diode of each pair breaks down when ringing voltage amplitude resulting from a voltage surge applied at the inputs of the common mode choke exceeds the breakdown threshold voltage of the zener diode. Transorb devices may be substituted for the back-to-back-coupled diode pairs.

Switching power supplies have been used for several decades to improve system efficiency and reduce size and weight. In particular, AC/DC converters which take in AC utility power and output isolated low (typically) voltage DC for use by system circuits are largely replacing their linear counterparts. The traditional linear supplies are composed of a transformer which operates at the AC line frequency, and output rectifier/filter circuit, and a linear regulator to maintain a consistent output voltage. Switching AC/DC converters rectify and filter the incoming AC line to create a high-voltage DC bus. A chopper circuit drives a high frequency transformer with pulses of this DC bus at frequencies typically in the 10's or 100's of kilohertz.
The unfortunate side affect of the switching action is the creation of electromagnetic interference (EMI). EMI can be both radiated and conducted (out the power cord for example) and can interfere with other nearby electronics. For this reason, various government and pseudo-government agencies around the world specify limitations on the allowable amount of EMI. To address the conducted EMI, power supply designers typically add an L-C (inductor-capacitor) EMI filter to the AC line interface. The filter is typically designed to reduce both differential mode (Line-Line) and common mode (Line-Ground) noise.
For AC/DC converters as well as other electronics, surges from lightning and AC power grid operations are a field hazard. Vast numbers of electronics are destroyed every year from surges. As with EMI, various government and pseudo-government agencies around the world specify minimum surge immunity levels which depend on the type of product and installation practices for that product. Both common mode and differential mode surge requirements are typically specified. Compliance is normally verified by testing with a surge generator that simulates lightning induced surges. Various surge waveforms are used for different applications. For AC line surges, a waveform with a 1.2 us rise time and an exponential decay with a 50 us half power decay time (1.2×50 us) is typically used.
Many electronic products are now double insulated and use only a two wire AC power cord. As such, common mode surge requirements are not applicable for many of these devices as there is no ground connection. However, certain devices such as a cable modem, an embedded multimedia terminal adapter ("eMTA"), a cable set-top box, a television, etc are affected. These devices get connected to ground through the coax cable connection. This becomes a further liability for these devices because the coax ground often has a less than optimal connection to the power ground of the installation. This can lead to elevated surge levels than would otherwise be experienced. As a result, these types of devices are often damaged from common mode surges. To cope with this, many cable operators specify surge immunity requirements in excess of the standards. For example, the standard for an eMTA is 2 kV (1.2×50 us waveform) common mode, but some cable operators require up to 10 kV.
As shown in FIG. 1, power supply 2 uses a common mode choke 4 together with a common mode capacitor 6 that spans the boundary between the primary and the secondary sections of the power supply. Inductor 4 and capacitor 6 operate as a filter to filter EMI from the switching action of the power supply, thus preventing the EMI energy from emanating onto the AC power network from power supply 2.
These components, including the common mode choke 4 and common mode capacitor 6 are typically capable of withstanding voltages of 2 KV, and even 10 KV without being damaged. However, when a voltage surge is applied to the inputs of power supply 2, an oscillation, or resonant ringing, often occurs in the L-C circuit formed by common mode choke 4 and common mode capacitor 6. This causes the instantaneous voltage stress to be greater than the peak of the actual applied surge voltage.
A surge test signal applied by surge generator 7 to the inputs of a power supply 2 as shown in FIG. 1 is shown by trace 8 in FIG. 2. The resulting resonant ringing across the common mode capacitor 6 is shown by trace 10. In practice, non-linearities such as common mode choke saturation would typically limit, but not eliminate this ringing. It is noted that some of the oscillation caused by ringing, as shown by peaks 12 and 14 in FIG. 2 exceed the input signal, some by a factor of 1.5 or more. This high amplitude resonant ringing is impressed upon every component that spans the isolation boundary between the primary and secondary side of the power supply (i.e., common mode capacitor 6, transformer 15 and the feedback circuit). Although the common mode capacitor 6 and transformer 15 shown in FIG. 1 may be capable of sustaining 10 KV energy levels, first oscillation peak 12 shown in FIG. 2 may exceed the surge voltage that these components are able to withstand. As discussed above, a surge signal represented by trace 8 may be impressed during testing by a common mode surge generator, or the surge/spike may be impressed by a nearby lightning strike when a device is deployed in the field.
In a device that is designed for use in an electrical system where ground 16 is connected to a reliable earth ground with either a three wire cord or a dedicated ground wire, one or more Metal Oxide Varistors ("MOV") may be used across the line and neutral inputs, across the line input and ground 16 and across neutral and ground 16.
However, some providers require that a device be operable even when a reliable ground 16 is not available. This may be because the local electrical distribution system does not provide a reliable ground, because the building where the device is to be used does not provide a reliable ground, or because the building where the device is to be used does not provide three-prong electrical receptacles. In such scenarios, the MOVs would not provide adequate protection because 'ground' node 16 could float, thus not providing an low potential 'destination' for charge that would otherwise be shunted by the MOVs around common mode capacitor 6. Furthermore, safety regulations typically do not allow the connection of surge dissipative devices such as MOVs to a 'functional ground' such as the coax cable shield.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a system for protecting power supply circuitry in an electrical device from high voltage surges when a reliable earth ground is not available for the device's circuitry.

System for EMI filter surge voltage clamping


A method and transmitter for generating a multicarrier signal, to be transmitted to a receiver, are provided. The method comprises dividing symbols to be transmitted into protected symbols and non-protected symbols; precoding non-protected symbols in a first precoder; precoding protected symbols in a second precoder; creating a modified non-protected symbol vector, based on the precoded non-protected symbols and the precoded protected symbols; and modulating the modified non-protected symbol vector and the protected symbols, thereby generating the multicarrier signal. Also, a method and receiver are disclosed.

A User Equipment (UE), also known as a mobile station, wireless terminal and/or mobile terminal is enabled to communicate wirelessly in a wireless communication network, sometimes also referred to as a cellular radio system. The communication may be made, e.g., between UEs, between a UE and a wire connected telephone and/or between a UE and a server via a Radio Access Network (RAN) and possibly one or more core networks.
The wireless communication may comprise various communication services such as voice, messaging, packet data, video, broadcast, etc.
The UE may further be referred to as mobile telephone, cellular telephone, computer tablet or laptop with wireless capability, etc. The UE in the present context may be, for example, portable, pocket-storable, hand-held, computer-comprised, or vehicle-mounted mobile devices, enabled to communicate voice and/or data, via the radio access network, with another entity, such as another UE or a server.
The wireless communication network covers a geographical area which is divided into cell areas, with each cell area being served by a radio network node, or base station, e.g., a Radio Base Station (RBS), which in some networks may be referred to as "eNB", "eNodeB", "NodeB" or "B node", depending on the technology and terminology used.
Sometimes, the expression "cell" may be used for denoting the radio network node itself. However, the cell may also in normal terminology be used for the geographical area where radio coverage is provided by the radio network node at a base station site. One radio network node, situated on the base station site, may serve one or several cells. The radio network nodes may communicate over the air interface operating on radio frequencies with any UE within range of the respective radio network node.
In some radio access networks, several radio network nodes may be connected, e.g., by landlines or microwave, to a Radio Network Controller (RNC), e.g., in Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). The RNC, also sometimes termed Base Station Controller (BSC), e.g., in GSM, may supervise and coordinate various activities of the plural radio network nodes connected thereto. GSM is an abbreviation for Global System for Mobile Communications (originally: Groupe Spécial Mobile).
In 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) radio network nodes, which may be referred to as eNodeBs or eNBs, may be connected to a gateway, e.g., a radio access gateway, to one or more core networks.
In the present context, the expressions downlink, downstream link or forward link may be used for the transmission path from the radio network node to the UE. The expression uplink, upstream link or reverse link may be used for the transmission path in the opposite direction, i.e., from the UE to the radio network node.
Beyond 3G mobile communication systems, such as e.g., 3GPP LTE, offer high data rate in the downlink by employing Multiple-Input and Multiple-Output (MIMO) with Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) access scheme at the UE.
A UE, before being able to receive downlink data from a serving radio network node, has to make a channel estimation. The channel estimation is based on a reference signal emitted by the radio network node. A number of reference signals have been defined in the LTE downlink, e.g., Cell-specific Reference Signal (CRS). CRS is transmitted in all subframes and in all resource blocks of the carrier.
In an effort to increase the flexibility of the radio network node's spectrum occupancy, various new waveforms have been proposed in the literature recently such as e.g. Filter Bank Multi-Carrier (FBMC) modulation, and/or precoded OFDM as notable examples. Typically, radio network nodes employing these waveforms distinguish themselves over today's established classical OFDM transmitters in that they move the functionality of prior art classical, low-pass spectrum-shaping transmitter-filters into the transmitter baseband modulator itself. By doing so, these radio network nodes combine extremely low out-of-band emission with a flexibility to rapidly change spectrum occupancy. By these virtues, they are considered very suitable for future radio systems that build on emerging concepts as dynamic, flexible spectrum access and spectrum sharing.
One such approach is based on precoding the data symbols prior to the OFDM modulation step typically in a K-point Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT).
FIG. 1A is illustrating an example of spectral precoding concept in a transmitter, which transmitter may be comprised in a radio network node for downlink transmission, or in a UE for uplink transmission. In each of the versions of this precoding approach as known in the prior art, data symbols are slightly corrupted for the sake of low out-of-band emissions. The symbols that modulate the subcarriers φk(t) of an OFDM symbol are collected in a vector d=[d0 d1 d2 . . . dK-1]T and have the general form:d=Gd  [Equation 1]
where d=[d0 d1 d2 . . . dD-1]T is the vector of D≦K information symbols and G is a K×D matrix denoting the spectral precoder. Further, the transmitted signal, generated by the K-point transmitter DFT is:S(t)=Σkdkφk(t)  [Equation2]
where φk(t) are the K subcarriers used in the DFT modulator and φk(t)=ej2πti(k)/T. Here, the index function i(k) maps each index in {0, 1, . . . , K−1} onto an arbitrary subcarrier index set {k0, k1, . . . , kK-1}. The index function i(k) may allow for an arbitrary order of the elements in the symbol vector d.
A receiver may then detect the information symbols d either by using knowledge of the actual precoding operation at the transmitter, knowledge the receiver has through a standard specification or through a signalling channel; or by simply ignoring the transmitter precoding operation and rely on the fact that the distortion incurred at the transmitter is so small that the receiver-performance is not significantly deteriorated.
Essentially, the known precoders are determined by forcing the precoded symbols d to satisfy a set of M linear constraints collected in one matrix equation:Ad=0  [Equation3]
where A is the size M×K constraint matrix, embodying the M linear constraints. The matrix A is chosen in such a way that the out-of-band emission of the signal s(t) is small.
Two kinds of the constraint matrices A are known, one based on a time-domain continuity argument, i.e. N-continuous multicarrier. The other one is based on a spectrum notching argument. For the problem addressed here, the actual choice of particular prior-art choice of constraint matrix is irrelevant.
Further, the literature explicitly describes two kinds of precoding structures, one where D=K (resulting in a class of projection precoders), and one where D<K, resulting in a class of orthogonal precoders. In the former, the price for reduced out-of-band emission is paid in terms of a reduced error-rate performance at the receiver. In the latter the price is paid in the form of slightly reduced data-rate and a higher implementation complexity at both transmitter and receiver. For the problem addressed here, the actual choice of particular precoder structure is transparent.
In classical OFDM typically certain subcarriers are modulated by pre-defined pilot symbols known at the receiver. FIG. 1B illustrates how for instance pilot symbols are scattered among the information-carrying data symbols in the time-frequency grid. Depending on the operation mode, i.e. the number of deployed antennas by the transmitter, the signal for each transmit antenna carries pilots, also referred to as reference symbols, located on some standard-defined subcarriers that depend on the antenna-index (labelling the transmit-antennas) and also on a time index (labelling the 14 OFDM symbols in a timeslot-pair).
A receiver typically uses its knowledge of pilot symbols (besides the locations, the actual symbol-values are standard-defined and hence known at the receiver) to estimate how the radio channel has changed/affected the transmitted signal's phase and amplitude at the respective pilot positions in the time-frequency grid. In a second step, the receiver then typically interpolates these channel effects in order to estimate how the radio channel affects the transmitted signal at positions in the time-frequency-grid where data symbols are transmitted. This information is crucial for the reliable detection of the data symbols.
One problem with the precoding structure illustrated in FIG. 1A is that the precoder corrupts any OFDM pilot symbols, different from one symbol to another, and dependent on the information symbols transmitted on information-carrying subcarriers. This distortion appears in a way that is unpredictable by the receiver. Hence, a receiver channel estimation procedure would exhibit deteriorated performance, which, in turn, would lead to a degradation of the error-rate/throughput performance of the communication link.
Further, certain subcarriers may be subject to a backwards compatibility requirement in the sense that traditional OFDM receivers may perceive these subcarriers as if no precoding were applied in the transmitter. In a system with prior-art spectral precoding such backwards-compatible receivers would exhibit reduced performance because they operate as if no transmit-precoding is performed, and the actual transmit precoding appears as an additional signal distortion. For instance, in legacy systems, certain subcarriers may contain control signals, synchronization signals, broadcast channels, and/or basically any other reference signal in a system such as e.g. CSI-RS, DM-RS, PRS in LTE-terminology.
In addition, certain subcarriers may be used by the transmitter to transmit "side information" about the actual precoder used. If some knowledge about the transmit-precoder operation is not available to the receiver by other means e.g. through a standard-specification, or through a separate, other, communication channel, the multicarrier transmitter may convey this information on some subcarriers of the precoded signal itself. However, as also the subcarriers transmitting the side information concerning the used precoder are precoded, it is not possible for the receiver to decode the side information reliably.
In short, pre-coding of pilots or reference symbols render distortion of these signals which makes channel estimation at the receiver side difficult or even impossible.
Further, prior art precoding have problems with backward compatibility, as existing standards may not be capable of dealing with information symbols comprised in precoded signals.
In addition, information symbols carrying essential side information about the precoder cannot be detected reliably by the receiver, without the knowledge of the essential side information.
In a multi-antenna system this problem occurs on each antenna.

Methods and nodes in a wireless communication network


The cartridge includes a sensor structure that has multiple sensors positioned on a substrate. The cartridge also includes a common channel defined in the substrate such that a fluid flowing in the common channel contacts each of the sensors as a result of the fluid flowing from an inlet of the common channel to an outlet of the common channel.

A variety of assays can be performed using an assay chip that includes one or more sensors positioned on a substrate. A cartridge can be employed to transport various liquids to the sensors. The cartridge typically includes one or more reservoirs that each holds one of the solutions. During the operation of the cartridge, the cartridge is inserted into a machine that causes the liquids in the reservoirs to be transported to the one or more sensors. The machine can then operate the one or more sensors so as to perform an assay on each of the sensors.
When the sensors are electrochemical sensors, the different liquids are delivered to each of the sensors in order to construct a test probe within a test volume that is positioned on the sensors. The different liquids include different components of the test volume including components of the test probe that bond to one another and/or to the sensor. Since it is desirable to perform different assays on different sensors, it is also desirable for the test probes built on different sensors to be different. As a result, cartridges for transporting the liquids to the sensors often include complex arrangements of channels and valves that introduce complexity, costs and inefficiencies into the system. As a result, there is a need for simplification of the process of performing multiple different assays on a sensor chip.


A composite spring-damper and method of making same. The spring-damper has an exposed fabric layer free of structural foam and curable resin. A core formed of resilient foam defines a spring shape and a fabric layer disposed on an outer surface of the core is attached to foam core by means of the foam having substantially filled only interstices of an inner portion of the fabric layer, without substantially penetrating an outer portion of said fabric layer; whereby the fabric layer of the composite spring-damper may thereafter be substantially completely saturated with a curable material for lamination to another structure. An attached reinforcing fabric layer may be provided on the exterior surface of the fabric layer, in which case the fabric layer may be entirely saturated and only the attached fabric layer substantially free of foam.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a composite structure and method of making composite structures. More particularly, the invention relates to composite structures which are especially adapted for use as spring and damper units in a variety of applications.
2. Description of Related Art
In the past, a number of structural composite articles have been developed using a variety of different technologies. One prior art technique involves interweaving yarns of polyester fibers with yarns of glass fibers to form a composite fabric. The fabric is then fitted within a mold and soaked with resin. The formed fabric and resin composition is then allowed to harden within the mold. While providing a generally rigid structure, such a technique includes a number of limitations, among them the inability to produce a variety of different shapes of substantial bulk or complex dimensions.
Another prior art technique involves manufacturing a light weight energy-absorbing structure made up of a laminate including a plurality of fabrics. The fabrics are pre-impregnated with a thermosetting resin and abutted against a core of cellular foam which has had a bonding material applied at the interface between the impregnated fabric and the foam. Heat is applied to cure the resin and the bonding material. However, when bonding material is used, it is often the case in hostile environments that the bonding material breaks down, an undesirable result when such structures are used in high load or stress applications.
Yet still another prior art technique involves the manufacture of a thermo-formable composite article comprised of a core layer made of a synthetic resin foam. A pair of adhesive layers are placed in contact with the opposite upper and lower surfaces of the core layer and a pair of fabric layers are superimposed on the opposite upper and lower surfaces of the core layer. The fabric layers are bonded to the core layer by the adhesive layers. At least one of the fabric layers is made of a non-woven fabric which has been impregnated with a thermoplastic or thermosetting resin. This technique also involves the disadvantages noted above with respect to the use of adhesives.
In boat building, especially glass fiber boats, hulls are typically reinforced by a grid arrangement of structural members known as "stringers" and "bulkheads," hereafter collectively referred to as "stringers." Present boat-building technology typically employs plywood stringers, although a growing percentage uses glass fiber/foam stringers. The plywood stringer system involves several process stages. The plywood is first cut to shape by a cutter or by hand with the use of templates. The stringer system which is commonly made up of interlocking stringers and bulkheads is assembled outside of the boat, with interlocking pieces being held with staples. Once the system is assembled, it is then placed in a boat as a module and laminated into place using a combination of reinforcing fabrics.
Glass fiber stringers are installed in a slightly different manner from plywood stringers. One way of installing such stringers is to cut blocks of foam into the shape of the stringers. The stringer shaped foam is then bonded into the hull and covered with glass fiber. Another way is that the glass fiber shell of the stringer is first laminated using a male mold. The stringer is then ground to fit into the boat and once the stringer has been ground to fit, it is spaced off of the bottom of the boat to avoid cracking problems. The stringer is then laminated into place and holes are drilled into the stringer and the stringer is filled with a two-part urethane foam.
Future boat construction is expected to use closed molding technologies. The reason for this is 1) to control noxious vapor emissions into the environment, 2) to reduce labor costs and (3) to create structurally superior constructions. Such future technology will generally require use of stringer systems made of composite structures compatible with such closed moldings. Conventional stringer systems are not well suited to such technologies since they will need to be installed after the hull has been laminated using an open mold. Wood stringers would be difficult to incorporate into a closed mold due to height and width constraints. Further, prepositioning of glass fiber reinforcement normally hand laminated over the wood or foam stringer system would be costly and create quality control problems. Conventional glass fiber stringers also pose problems due to the void in the stringer structures. Specifically, since foam is injected into such stringer after installation, it becomes difficult to keep the resin from filling the inside of the stringer.
Another problem which arises in fabrication of composite structures is the difficulty in constructing a composite member which provides shock absorbing characteristics and resiliency. Such components can be used in varied applications such as shock isolation members between a boat hull liner or deck and the outer hull, engine mounting systems, leaf springs and in any other type of composite structure which requires an engineered resiliency and/or shock absorption. In the past, these characteristics have been provided using shock absorbing rubber mounts, conventional metal or plastic spring and hydraulic shock absorbers. However, such systems have proven unsuitable for use in certain composite structures for a variety of reasons. In some instances, environmental conditions dictate that conventional spring and damping systems not be used due to the corrosive effect of salt water for example. Further, the point of attachment between a composite structure and a non-composite spring/damping system will typically result in a high localized stress concentration which can tend to damage to the composite structure.
In accordance with the invention, these and other problems with the prior art are avoided by providing a composite structure and method of making such structure which avoids the use of adhesive and lends itself to a variety of shapes, structures and applications. In one specific aspect, the composite articles manufactured in accordance with the method are used as spring and damper systems for composite constructions.

Method of making composite spring and damper units