The cyclone heat exchanger according to the invention comprises a set of cyclones for preheating powdered raw material. The set of cyclones is divided into a high temperature part (1) and a low temperature part (2) mutually interconnected by a tube (4) with a return loop (40) which is located below the lever of lower cyclone (21) of low temperature part (2). The powdered raw material is transferred from the low temperature part (2) to the high temperature part (1) by means of a transport tube (50), fed with hot transporting gas. The high temperature part (1) and the low temperature part (2) are located in such a way, that the connection of the warm gas input (130) of the highest cyclone (13) of high temperature part (1) is located above the connection of warm gas input (210) of lower cyclone (21).

The invention deals with a cyclone heat exchanger for preheating of powdered raw material, where the exchanger is consisting from a set of cyclones, which are mutually on different height level, and the cyclones are connected in series and they are connected with the tubes of hot gas such a way that the input of the first cyclone is connected to the hot gas source and the output of each cyclone is assigned to the input of the next cyclone and the raw material output from each cyclone is led to the beginning of hot gas tube from the previous cyclone.
The up to now known heat exchangers for preheating of powdered raw material before its next processing, for instance for preheating of raw material farina at dry method of cement clinker production, are realized with in series arranged heat exchanging stages. They are arranged mutually in series over each other, whatxe2x80x94especially at units with greater heat gradient and so with greater number of heat exchanging stagesxe2x80x94is highly demanding for the building work and for the assembly of corresponding equipment and which besides other is manifesting with inconvenient increase of costs to the unit of end product.
The problem of undesirable building height can be solved so, that the in series arranged heat exchanging cyclones are located beside each other and the individual gas tubes, which are interconnecting them, have to considerably descend under the level of individual cyclones. That means however a substantially increased extent of the propre technologic equipment and additionally that is to the expense of a fluent material movement and heating up gases during the technologic process, which once more manifests in an increase of investment and operation costs.
The disadvantages of up to now realized design arrangements are in substantial extent removed by the object of the invention, which is a cyclone heat exchanger for preheating of powdered raw material, composed from a set of cyclones, which are connected in series and interconnected with hot gas tubes such a way, that the input of the first cyclone is connected to the hot gas source and the output of each cyclone is assigned to the input of the next cyclone and the raw material output from each cyclone is led to the tube, assigned to the hot gas output from the previous cyclone.
The principle of the invention is that the set of cyclones is divided to two parts, a high temperature part nearer to the hot gas source, and a low temperature part and where each part is composed from at least two cyclones and which are mutually interconnected with a connecting tubing, on the end closer to the low temperature part of which a return loop is built up such a way that its lowest part is laying under the level of lower cyclone on the low temperature part, and that the high temperature part and the low temperature part are mutually located so that the connection of the warm gas inlet of the highest cyclone of high temperature part is situated higher as the connection of the warm gas inlet of the lower cyclone of the low temperature part, whereas the output of powdered raw material of the next cyclone of low temperature part is led to the ascending part of the return loop, whereas the high temperature part is further equipped with a transport tube to which the output tube of lower cyclone of low temperature part is led and which is led to the tube connecting the hot gas input of the highest cyclone of high temperature part and hot gas output from the previous cyclone. Here the input part of the transport tube is advantageously situated under the powdered raw material output level of the lower cyclone of the low temperature part.
An other principle of the invention is that the high temperature part and/or the low temperature part consists from at least two cyclones.
Finally the principle of the invention is, that into the output tube, arranged between the input chamber of the rotary kiln and the first cyclone of high temperature part a fuel input and a combustion air is led, eventually that to the output tube, arranged between the rotary kiln input chamber and the first cyclone of high temperature part, an input of hot gas and precalcinated raw material is led.
With arrangement according to the invention a substantial building height reduction of the cyclone exchanger at optimal exploitation of heat which is contained in gas led to the powdered raw material transport tube is achieved. As to the substantially less building height the invention can be additionally advantageously applied in areas with increased seismic activity, where for instance the usual high constructions could not be realized.
An other advantage of the solution according to invention is, that it can be used at calcinating exchangers, where for instance it is possible into the output gas tube between the rotary kiln and the lower cyclone of heat exchanger to lead additionally fuel and combustion air or gas with precalcinated raw material from the connected calcinating device.


A refrigerant cycling apparatus, enclosing a non-azeotropic mixture including a low-boiling point refrigerant and a low-boiling point refrigerant, includes: a first compressor; a second compressor, a suction pipe of which is connected with a discharge pipe of the first compressor; a fractionating/separating device, the discharge pipe of the first compressor being connected with one of a top portion and a middle portion of the fractionating/separating device, the suction pipe of the first compressor being connected with the top portion of the fractionating/separating device, the discharge pipe of the second compressor being connected with one of the middle portion and a bottom portion of the fractionating/separating device, the suction pipe of the second compressor being connected with the bottom portion of the fractionating/separating device; a first pressure reducing device provided between the top portion of the fractionating/separating device and the suction pipe of the first compressor; a first vaporizing device provided between the first pressure reducing device and the suction pipe of the first compressor to vaporize the refrigerant; a second pressure reducing device provided between the discharge pipe of the second compressor and the fractionating/separating device; and a first condensing device provided between the second pressure reducing device and the suction pipe of the second compressor to condense the refrigerant.

The present invention relates to the improvement of a refrigerant cycling apparatus for use in an air-conditioner for obtaining a high or low temperature.
A conventional refrigerant cycling apparatus for obtaining a high or a low temperature has a plurality of refrigerant cycling devices are connected with each other in cascade type. In this refrigerant cycling apparatus, a high-boiling refrigerating component is enclosed in a cycle positioned in a higher stage and a low-boiling refrigerating component is enclosed in a cycle positioned in a lower stage. Further, a heat exchanger is provided to perform a heat exchange between the evaporated refrigerant in the higher stage and the condensed refrigerant in the lower stage.
In this apparatus, since the high-boiling point refrigerant is enclosed in the higher stage cycle, a high temperature is obtained with the vapor pressure lowered in the condenser in the higher stage. Since the low-boiling point refrigerant is enclosed in the lower stage cycle, a low temperature is obtained in the evaporator in the lower stage without generating a negative pressure.
The above-described conventional apparatus is suitable for obtaining a higher temperature or a lower temperature. But the heat exchange between the evaporated refrigerant in the higher stage and the condensed refrigerant in the lower stage is performed to reliably separate the high-boiling point refrigerant enclosed in the higher stage cycle and the low-boiling point refrigerant enclosed in the lower stage cycle from each other. Therefore, the evaporation temperature of the refrigerant in the higher stage is lower than the condensation temperature of the refrigerant in the lower stage. Therefore, compressors provided in the higher and the lower stage cycles are operated with a large compression ratio. Hence, the conventional apparatus is operated with a low efficiency.
In recent years, there is a growing demand for the development of a refrigerant cycling apparatus capable of supplying hot water and air-conditioning the temperature of a room rather than an apparatus just for supplying hot water or an extremely low temperature. However, in the conventional apparatus comprising a plurality of refrigerant cycling devices, the condenser in the higher stage is capable of serving as a means for supplying hot water as well as a heater, however, the apparatus is large-sized because a high-boiling point refrigerant has a low heating performance.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


Methods of fabricating nanowire structures and nanodevices are provided. The methods involve photolithographically depositing a nucleation center on a crystalline surface of a substrate, generating a nanoscale seed from the nucleation center, and epitaxially growing a nanowire across at least a portion of the crystalline surface starting at a nucleation site where the nanoscale seed is located.

Since the emergence of nanostructures as technologically relevant materials, "bottom-up" fabrication strategies and directed assembly methods have become increasingly attractive. Due to their potential for proliferating a new generation of electronic devices, the need for the development of nanostructures has been noted in the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors.
In the current state-of-the-art "bottom-up" assembly of nanodevices, that is, devices containing nano-scale components such as nanowires, multi-step preparatory routines involving the formation, transfer, and alignment of nanowires are typically practiced. Specifically, in such routines nanowires are grown on a primary substrate, then removed from the substrate and transferred to a solution. The nanowires are then transferred from the solution to a secondary substrate, where an alignment technique is employed to align the nanowires with one another. Several techniques for aligning nanowires and controlling nanowire hierarchy have been developed. These techniques include electric field assisted orientation and alignment with fluid flow in microchannels. More recent advances have involved the confinement and alignment of nanowires using the Langmuir-Blodgett technique, assembly of densely packed elongated metal nanowires using a pattern transfer process, microcontact printing, and large-area blown bubble films of aligned nanowires.
These multi-step growth and alignment techniques are lacking in their capability to accurately and repeatedly position nanowires at predetermined coordinates on a substrate. The capability of accurately and repeatedly positioning nanowires at selected coordinates is critical for nanofabrication at technologically relevant scales, in particular for facilitating the subsequent processing steps which involve integration of nanowires with micro-scale and nano-scale components.

Fabrication of nanowires and nanodevices

National Institute of Standards and Technology


The present invention describes a composite dough mass for producing a baked product comprising an inner dough portion and an outer dough portion, wherein the outer dough comprises a conventional leavened dough and the inner portion comprises a leavened dough with less oven spring than the outer dough portion. The composite material provides a means of producing a baked product of comparable quality to a product which employs only leavened dough of good baking characteristics. The present invention provides a means of adding to the inner dough portion a significant level of a fibrous additive such as soy polysaccharide or cellulosic material, to provide a bread of reduced calories, yet produce a product of acceptable oven spring bread of the composite dough material.

The present invention relates to a composite dough material and process for producing the same.
Flours used for the production of yeast leavened bread vary widely in terms of their baking performance. Flours which are of a high quality, produce breads of high loaf volume and good internal texture whereas flours that are of a lesser quality are correspondingly lower in both of these baking characteristics. The addition of a fibrous material to yeast leavened dough for producing breads or similar baked products of reduced calories, for the most part reduces the baking performance of the dough to which it is added depending on both the amount of the fibrous additive, as well as the type of additive employed. In order to overcome any shortcomings involved in the baking performance of doughs containing a fibrous additive it is not uncommon to supplement the fiber containing dough with vital wheat gluten in order to improve baking performance. While the addition of wheat gluten provides an acceptable result, wheat gluten will often lose functionality during manufacture, and may have to be added in large quantities to poor quality doughs in order to improve baking performance. This not only increases the cost of manufacture but introduces a new variable to the baking process which makes commercial use more difficult.
It would therefore be highly desirable if a means could be found of employing a poor quality dough in the production of baked goods, specifically a dough containing a significant percentage of fibrous material without a corresponding reduction in baking performance.

Composite dough product and a process for producing same


A medical image recording device includes an image pickup device. The image pickup device, which includes an optical lens and an image pickup element that generates an image signal by photoelectrically converting light introduced from a subject via the optical lens, is put an operator. An image pickup control unit displays, on a display unit, image data that is generated for each of frames that constitute a video by processing an image pickup signal. A recording control unit records the image data on a memory card. Based on an angular velocity output from an acceleration sensor, if an amount of movement calculated by the movement detection unit is within a preset range, a camera shake correction unit corrects a blur. If the amount of movement is greater than an upper limit of the range, the recording control unit stops recording of image data on the memory card.

Putting an image pickup device, such as a digital video camera equipped with image pickup elements of CCD or CMOS type, on the body of an operator who carries out an operation in order to shoot a video of how the operation is going is a common practice.
In particular, in the field of medical treatment, if a video of how an operator has conducted an operation on a treatment target location is taken and left as a record, the video will be highly useful as explanatory material when a person who got the treatment or his/her family receives an explanation of how the operation is conducted after the operation, or as material for academic conferences or medical education.
In order to meet such needs, what is known is a medical image pickup device whose image pickup device is attached to a binocular loupe or headband that an operator puts on his/her head or face when conducting an operation, enabling the image pickup device to shoot a treatment target location the operator is closely watching (Refer to Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example).
However, when the image pickup device is used to shoot a subject within an image pickup range, so-called "camera shake" is a problem. The "camera shake" means that the movement of the body or head of the operator shakes the image pickup device during medical treatment, causing the video to blur. Delicate work, such as medical treatment, entails wiggling of hands. If the image pickup device that is put on the body of the operator moves when a shutter is being opened, the movement causes the video to blur, thereby making the video unclear.
In order to suppress such a camera shake, what is known is a digital camera that uses an acceleration sensor, or detects an image shift between two consecutive frames of the video, in order to obtain camera-shake information and correct the image data to correct the camera shake (Refer to Patent Document 3, for example).

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A client-server computing system suited particularly for homogenous clients of varying functional capabilities. Information handling capabilities are provided at the client and server on a customized, as-needed basis. When a service is needed by a client, the server determines a number of factors that may be relevant to the manner in which the service is to be provided. Then, the server selects from between two or more services having different executable code, and uploads the selected service to the client. Thus, the code may be tailored to the client's capabilities, or other aspects of its function. Services are not permanently retained by a client; rather, the client performs an analysis to determine whether services should be retained or purged. Also, state information is not permanently retained by a client; the server retains the information and uploads that information to the client. The server also manages its resources by loading service components on an as-needed basis.

With the proliferation of the Internet and applications utilizing Internet or other networking systems, increasingly, data has been accessed from servers using diverse platforms in varied locations and circumstances. Currently, a variety of Internet clients are available for accessing Internet information, including embedded devices (e.g. browsers in household appliances), palm size personal computers, palm size organizers, desktop personal computers, lap top computers, cellular telephones and other platforms that are being developed presently. The diversity of platforms available for accessing Internet content is expected to expand, particularly as wireless data networks become increasingly available to users.
Each of the variety of clients currently available has unique memory performance and functionality constraints. The unique physical characteristics of each client, or the desired functional use of the client, implies that each client will have different processing code and different input/output functionalities available to it.
This diversity of platforms raises a number of difficulties. First, most Internet content, and content on other networks such as corporate intranets, has been developed to facilitate communication with a single type of client, namely, a desktop or notebook computer having a standard size display screen, a full alpha/numeric keyboard, and frequently also a pointing device. Content developed for this client platform is not well suited for use in and viewing on other dramatically different platforms, such as embedded devices, palm size personal computers, organizers and cellular telephones. To date, the content that is easily available through such non-standard platforms has been limited to that made available in conjunction with the manufacturer of the client hardware.
Second, diverse platforms require different software capabilities to handle content delivered over a network; these capabilities are difficult to predict in advance or to install in advance of their desired use. Although it has been known to install functions for Internet content on an as needed basis, the methodologies that have been developed are not particularly suitable for diverse clients with varied and potentially highly limited capabilities and resources.
For example, Microsoft Internet Explorer includes an install on demand feature in which Internet Explorer will recognize when given functionality is needed to properly present web page content, and in this condition will prompt the user to download and install the needed functionality. The difficulty with this approach is that the installed functionality is permanently installed at the client computer, and thus may consume precious resources, particularly where the client has limited resources such as is the case in palmtop or cellular telephone clients.
As a second example, the Java Virtual Machine functionality has been promulgated by Sun Microsystems as an open source programming language for use with web-based content. In a Java-enabled website, Java Virtual Machine (VM) code for a page is downloaded and initiated as part of viewing the page. The Java Virtual Machine code is retained in memory and executed, so long as the page is viewed by the user. When the user departs the page the Java Virtual Machine code is discarded. A difficulty with the Java methodology is that the Java Virtual Machine code for a given web page is identical for all clients visiting the page, and thus is not adaptable for clients with radically different functionalities and capabilities. Furthermore, the Java Virtual Machine code for a web page is downloaded in full upon accessing the page, potentially requiring resources in excess of those available in a client with limited computing or storage capabilities. Finally, because Java Virtual Machine code is discarded upon exiting the page associated with the code, the user upon returning to that page must reinitialize his or her browsing state, such as information retrieved or data entered, because that state information is not retained when the Java Virtual Machine code is discarded.
A third difficulty arising from the use of diverse clients with potentially widely varying capabilities, arises when attempting to retain information on the state of interaction of the client with a server. Web browsers such a Microsoft Internet Explorer have incorporated a functionality known as "cookies". In this methodology, a server may store a small file known as a "cookie", on a client computer, that contains some status information. "Cookie" files are stored and retrieved by the server, under supervision of the client's browser software. In some cases, cookies may be used to restore the state of a user upon return to a web page. However, cookies may consume an inordinate amount of a client's storage resources. Furthermore, due to security concerns, many users dislike the "cookie" approach of storing information on a client's computer system. For either or both reasons, many users prevent storage of cookies on their client systems.
A further, related, difficulty arises in a server attempting to provide services to a wide variety of clients. Specifically, in a typical server, all data and executable code needed to provide services to clients that may connect to the server, are loaded in the server at all times. This approach, while insuring that all possible services are always available from a server, can consume substantial resources of a server. This is particularly true where multiple different styles of clients and/or multiple different services may be utilized from the server. As unique executable code or data is developed for different unique clients, the duplication and proliferation of different server functions will be exacerbated.
The UNIX daemon known as INETD, attempts to resolve this problem by defining a static list of services that may be provided by a server. This list is used to load needed services when those services are demanded by the server. Unfortunately, the UNIX INETD daemon suffers from the limitation that the services provided by the server must be predefined and be in a static listing, limiting the adaptability of the server to changing conditions.
It can thus be seen that the state of the art has substantial limitations in managing, on both the client and server, the emerging environment characterized by diverse clients connecting to servers for providing services over a network.
In the preceding discussion, and in the following explanation, of the invention, the word "service" will be used to refer to executable code or an executable process, or data utilized in such a process, or both, in any combination, that provides an information handling function. Furthermore, a "service" will be understood to comprise client and server components, which interact to provide an information handling function, each component of which may include executable code, data, or both, in any combination. The client and server portions of the service interact and interoperate to provide the desired overall information handling functionality of the service.

Pervasive, distributed provision of services such as product brokerage

International Business Machines Corporation


A rubber composition comprising a rubbery polymer, carbon black and a processing aid is described wherein the processing aid is a liquid diene polymer having a weight average molecular weight of about 5,000 to 140,000 and having an atomic group having a bond represented by the formula: EQU >C.dbd.N.sup..crclbar. <,. which is bonded to the terminal of the polymer chain, and the amount of the liquid diene polymer is 1 to 100 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the rubbery polymer. The liquid diene polymer is usually prepared by reacting an anionic living liquid diene polymer with a compound having in the molecule a bond represented by the formula: ##STR1## in which M represents an oxygen or sulfur atom.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a carbon black-incorporated rubber composition having an enhanced processability and giving a vulcanizate having a satisfactory strength and rebound, and a process for the preparation of this composition.
2. Description of the Related Art
The processability of a carbon black-incorporated rubber composition and the hardness, tensile strength and rebound of the vulcanizate thereof are greatly influenced by the state of dispersion of carbon black.
The addition of a processing aid such as a process oil or a liquid rubber to a rubber composition has heretofore been adopted as the means for improving the processability of the carbon black-incorporated rubber composition. However, the addition of such a processing aid results in degradation of the physical properties of the rubber, such as the rebound.
As the means for improving the dispersibility of carbon black in a rubber composition, there has been proposed a polymer modifying process, for example, a process in which active terminals of a diene polymer are modified with a terminal modifier such as a tin halide compound, an isocyanate compound or a benzophenone derivative (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,550,142 and 4,647,625), Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 61-141741 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 61-293205).
However, when carbon black is incorporated with a modifier rubber as mentioned above, the Mooney viscosity of the compound stock becomes very high and the processability thereof becomes poor. It is eagerly desired to overcome this defect.

Rubber composition and process for preparing same


A multi-component filter for a smoking article comprises: a mouth end segment; a first flavor release segment comprising plant leaf upstream of the mouth end segment; and a second flavor release segment comprising filtration material and a flavorant upstream of the first flavor release segment. The resistance to draw of the second flavor release segment is greater than the resistance to draw of the first flavor release segment and the resistance to draw of the second flavor release segment is greater than the resistance to draw of the mouth end segment. The multi-component filter preferably further comprises a rod end segment comprising filtration material upstream of the second flavor release segment, which has a lower resistance to draw than the second flavor release segment.

The present invention relates to a multi-component filter for a smoking article and to a smoking article comprising such a multi-component filter.
Filter cigarettes typically comprise a rod of tobacco cut filler surrounded by a paper wrapper and a cylindrical filter aligned in end-to end relationship with the wrapped tobacco rod and attached thereto by tipping paper. Ventilation in the form of circumferential perforations is commonly provided at a location along the filter, to mix the mainstream smoke produced during combustion of the wrapped tobacco rod with ambient air.
In conventional filter cigarettes, the filter usually consists of a plug of cellulose acetate tow wrapped in porous plug wrap. However, filter cigarettes with multi-component filters that comprise two or more segments of filtration material for the removal of particulate and gaseous components of the mainstream smoke are also known. To enhance the flavour of the mainstream smoke produced during combustion of the wrapped tobacco rod, it is also known to provide filter cigarettes with filters that include flavourants.
It would be desirable to provide a multi-component filter for a smoking article such as a cigarette that, in use, provides improved flavour enhancement to mainstream smoke as it is drawn from a rod of smokable material through the filter by a consumer.

Multi-component filter providing multiple flavour enhancement


A container for packaging and unwinding a welding wire comprising: a square cardboard box with four vertical side walls and four vertically extending corners, each defining an apex, a center cylindrical core, an inner vertically extending tubular liner with an octagonal outer shape having four outer walls, each generally overlying a side wall of the box and four alternate inner walls between two of the outer walls and spaced from the corner apexes to define generally triangular, vertical cavities with an at rest dimension from the apex of a corner to one of the alternate inner walls and a vertically extending corner reinforcing element in each of the cavities. The element in each cavity has a diagonal pressure rib extending from the apex to the inner wall.

The present invention relates to a cardboard container or box for packaging and unwinding coiled welding wire.
In recent times, a substantial industry has been developed around providing coils of electric welding wire in square cardboard boxes. This new technology is described in Gelmetti U.S. Pat. No. 5,494,160 and Cipriani EPC Application No. 1,057,751 A1. This patent and published application are incorporated by reference herein to illustrate the use of cardboard boxes with center cores to package and allow unwinding of coiled welding wire. It is common also to provide a center octagonal liner, as shown in the EPC application to define spaced triangular corner cavities each filled with a tubular reinforcing element. Such tubular elements are shown in Obetz U.S. Pat. No. 1,640,368 and Stump U.S. Pat. No. 3,648,920. These patents disclosing corner reinforcing elements for cardboard boxes are incorporated by reference as background information regarding the use of corner tubular support members or elements. Tubular support members are also shown in brochures entitled xe2x80x9cThe Squaring of the Circlexe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cWeld Point Robotic Welding Wirexe2x80x94Technology of the Futurexe2x80x9d. These printed publications are incorporated by reference herein to illustrate reinforced corners in square boxes, some of which include an octagonal inner lining against which the welding wire is pushed during the coiling operation. All of these prior patents and publications are incorporated by reference as background to the present invention.
The prior art discussed above illustrates the development of square cardboard boxes for packaging and unwinding of welding wire, wherein the cardboard boxes are modified by a variety of structural elements to solve the many and diverse problems experienced by use of cardboard boxes. Using the background technology relating to cardboard boxes for welding wire, it has been determined that the best results are accomplished using a square box having an octagonal center lining and an inner core around which the wire is coiled. This basic box construction allows the wire to be coiled around the center core so it fills the space between the center core and the inner lining. By using the inner lining, the wire actually engages eight different surfaces to restrict its outer dimension and confine its radial spread during coiling, shipping, and unwinding. The unique combination of a square cardboard box and an octagonal center lining around an inner core produces four triangular cavities at the corners of the cardboard box. In accordance with standard technology, these four triangular cavities are filled by vertical reinforcing elements in the form of tubes or triangles generally matching the cavities. Such reinforcing elements increase vertical ridigity of the box, thus allowing shipment of several stacked boxes. Selection of a cardboard box with a center lining and reinforcing corner elements satisfies several diverse needs and solves problems associated with the recent trend toward the use of cardboard boxes for welding wire. Advantageous features from several box structures are thus obtained in a single container. However, the prior box technology with or without a liner required restriction of the coiled wire. Otherwise, there was deformation of the square cardboard box forming the package. As shown in Gelmetti U.S. Pat. No. 5,494,160, the coil is maintained in the center of the box by spaced diagonal wood strips. The Gelmetti box does not include a center octagonal liner. Consequently, when using the advantageous combination of a square box and a center octagonal liner, the coil tended to expand against the side walls of the box, causing the box to assume a non-square, generally circular configuration, especially after long shipping and storage times. For this reason, the advantageous combination of the octagonal liner in a square box with corner reinforcing has been used primarily with a structure to control the outward movement of the coil such as ties, as shown in the prior publication entitled xe2x80x9cThe Squaring of the Circlexe2x80x9d.
The present invention overcomes difficulties experienced in prior attempts to employ the superior concept of a square cardboard box with an octagonal inner liner and corner reinforcing elements. In the past, the coil around the center core would engage the four side walls of the box to bow the box outwardly and effect the appearance and use of the cardboard box. Solving this problem by tying the wire coil merely reduced the amount of wire that could be loaded into the box. The invention involves an improvement in the basic design, which improvement overcomes the tendency of the box to bow out without reducing the capacity of the box constraining the wire coil.
In accordance with the invention, the well known corner reinforcing elements are modified to create an integral pressure rib extending from the apex of a corner toward the diagonal wall of the center liner. This rib, in the preferred embodiment, is wide enough to force the diagonal wall to bow outwardly. When wire is coiled about the core and engages the four diagonal side walls of the inner liner, the pressure rib extending from the apex of the corners is engaged and creates a line of force from the wire coil directly to the vertical apex at all four corners of the cardboard box. In this manner, the corners are placed in tension to counteract the tendency of the side walls to bow outwardly when the liner is engaged by the wire coiled around the center core. By merely forming the corner support elements to include an integral, diagonally extending pressure rib, the box maintains its square configuration even during shipping and long storage. Consequently, the hat or adapter used at the welding operation to affix a wire conduit above the center of the box easily fits over the box. In the past, the hat had to reshape the cardboard box into a square. In some instances, this presented difficulty. By merely modifying the center reinforcing tubes to provide a pressure rib between the liner and the apex of each corner, a loaded box is placed in tension and the square shape is maintained. This change in the corner structure of the container allows the advantages known to exist by using a square container with an octagonal center liner. The coil does not need to be restrained, and the box does not experience undue distortion. There is no need to sacrifice the advantage of a center liner so the wire coil can be maintained in a center position as in the Gelmetti patent. The capacity of the container is maximized, while still rigidifying its shape.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a container for packaging and unwinding a welding wire. The container comprises a square cardboard box with four vertical walls and four vertically extending corners, each defining an apex. There is a center cylindrical core and an inner, vertically extending tubular liner with an octagonal shape defined by four outer walls, each generally overlying the side wall of the box, and four alternate inner walls between two of the outer walls and spaced from the corner apexes to define generally triangular vertical cavities. The box has an at rest dimension from the apex of the corner to the inner walls of the liner. The container is provided with standard vertically extending corner reinforcing element in each of the triangular corner cavities. In accordance with the invention, the reinforcing element of each cavity has a diagonally extending pressure rib extending from the apex of the corner to the inner wall of the liner. The width of this pressure rib is greater than the at rest dimension of the corner cavity. Consequently, the rib pushes the wall inwardly. A coil of welding wire around the core presses on the inner wall to apply a force along the apex of the box corner. This places the corners of the box in tension to counteract the tendency of the wire to bow the sides of the box into the shape of the coiled wire. In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the pressure rib is formed integrally with the vertical reinforcing element. Preferably, the element is formed from folded cardboard. After the container is used, all parts of the box can be recycled as used cardboard. In accordance with a broader aspect of the invention, the rib does not bow the liner wall inwardly, but is used to prevent outward bowing of the liner wall. Any tendency to bow outwardly engages the pressure rib, forcing the rib against the corner to rigidify the box and maintain its squareness.
The primary object of the present invention is the provision of a container for packaging and unwinding welding wire, which container utilizes the concept of a square cardboard box with a center octagonal liner while overcoming the tendency for the box to deform during shipment, storage, and use.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a container, as defined above, which container is only a minor modification of existing containers and involves a low expense while obtaining the desired results of maintaining box squareness.
Still a further object of the present invention is the provision of a square cardboard box having a center octagonal cardboard liner with a modified corner reinforcing element that has a pressure rib extending from the apex of four box corners to the liner in the box so that filling of the box does not change its square configuration.
These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description taken together with the accompanying drawings.


A semiconductor power device wherein the reverse voltage across the p.sup.+ -regions(s) and the n.sup.+ -regions(s) is sustained by a composite buffer layer, shortly as CB-layer. The CB-layer contains two kinds of semiconductor regions with opposite types of conduction. These two kinds of regions are alternatively arranged, viewed from any cross-section parallel to the interface between the layer itself and the n.sup.+ (or p.sup.+)-region. Whereas the hitherto-used voltage sustaining layer contains only one kind of semiconductor with single type of conduction in the same sectional view. Design guidelines are also provided in this invention. The relation between the on-resistance in unit area Ron and the breakdown voltage V.sub.B of the CB-layer invented is Ron ocV.sub.B.sup.113 which represents a breakthrough to the conventional voltage sustaining layer, whereas the other performances of the power devices remain almost unchanged.

It is well-known that in the conventional semiconductor power devices, the reverse voltage applied across the n.sup.+ -region(s) and p.sup.+ -region(s) is sustained by a lightly doped semiconductor layer, called hereafter as voltage sustaining layer. For high voltage power devices, the on-resistance (or the on-voltage) is also dominantly determined by the voltage sustaining layer. The breakdown voltage mainly depends on the doping concentration and the thickness of the layer. The lower the concentration is and/or the larger the thickness is, the higher the breakdown voltage is, but the larger also the on-resistance (or the on-voltage) is. One of the most important problems of many power devices, especially of the majority devices like VVMOS, VDMOS and RMOS, is to get both high breakdown voltage and low on-resistance. For example, in the most advanced power MOSFET, RMOS(or UMOS), shown schematically in FIG. 1, the voltage sustaining layer is an n.sup.+ -epi-layer, the theoretical limit of the on-resistance in unit area Ron is Ron=7.4.times.10.sup.-9 V.sub.B.sup.2.5 [.OMEGA..cm.sup.2 ], where V.sub.B is the breakdown voltage of the device. For references of the relation between Ron and V.sub.B see: [1] C. F. Wheately. G. M. Dolny. Solid-State Technology, November 1985.pp 121-128; [2] C.Hu. IEEE Trans. Electron Devices, Vol. ED-26, NO. 3.pp. 243-246(1979); [3] D. Ueda, H. Takagi, G. Hano. IEEE Trans. Electron Devices, Vol. ED-34.pp 926-930 (1987); (4) H. R. Chang. R. D. Black et al. IEEE Trans. Electron Devices, Vol. ED-34, pp. 2329-2333 (1987). Also, see a U.S. patent--[5] Goodman et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,366,495, Dec. 23, 1982, where improvement has been made to reduce the practical on-resistance of the VDMOS, however, the devices disclosed in Goodman et al. retain the relation between Ron and V.sub.B. This relation has been an obstacle for making high performance power devices. Moreover. Ron stated above refers to the conduction area of the voltage sustaining layer, but practically, there exists always some areas which do not contribute very much to the conduction. The examples of such areas are: the area under the source-body in a vertical MOSFET; the area under the base contact of the bipolar transistors.

Semiconductor power devices with alternating conductivity type high-voltage breakdown regions

University of Electronic Science and Technology of China


A combination drilling/tapping electro-discharge machining (EDM) drill capable of selectively operating in hole drilling mode or thread tapping mode is provided. The EDM drill includes a rotation axis as a R axis driven by a servo motor; a machining axis as a Z axis driven by another servo motor being capable of switching between a default mode and a servo following mode for realizing a spark following; and a thread electrode extended down from the R axis through a guide; wherein a dielectric supply and said R axis rotates for performing said EDM thread tapping on a work piece.

The present invention relates to the field of Electric-Discharge Machining (EDM) drill and more particularly to an unproved EDM drill capable of selectively operating in a hole drilling and thread tapping mode.
A conventional EDM drill comprises with machining axis (i.e., Z axis), rotation axis (i.e., R axis), dielectric supply (pump) device, round tube electrode, guide, dielectric filtering system, control unit, and an EDM power supply. In performing EDM drilling, firstly R axis is rotated in a constant speed or adjustable speed, and pump to supply dielectric through rotate spindle into tubing electrode, then electrode tube through the guide. At the same time machining axis servo feed and EDM power are activated to perform an EDM drilling on a work piece. Such EDM drill can drill a hole with a very small diameter and deep, for example like 0.5 mm drill into 100 mm depth of work piece, the diameter to depth ratio is 1:200 (i.e., smaller diameter to depth ratio as compared to other mechanical drills). Further, the alignment of the drilled hole is good. Hence, such high speed EDM drills have been widely used. Such as conductive metal material is capable of performing by EDM drill irrespective of their hardness. Unfortunately, such high efficiency and precision equipment is applicable to hole drilling only.
Conventionally, thread making devices may use following three broad categories: (1) Mechanical tapping devices (the most widely used ones). In detail, firstly a hole is drilled into a work piece by drill. Then drive tapper to perform a thread tapping. Typically, the work piece is formed of soft material, i.e., a heat treatment (e.g., hardening) has not been performed thereon. In one example, a carbide tapper is used for tapping a hardened material. However, the tapper may be broken while machining. (2) Computer numerical control (CNC) EDM based tapping devices. In detail, rotation axis (i.e., C axis) and machining axis (i.e., Z axis) of a CNC EDM die sinker are interpolated servo feed with thread pitch of thread electrode and the activation of EDM power for performing an EDM tapping. However, such technique is only applicable to a device having a rotation axis (i.e., C axis or fourth axis), otherwise the following one is applicable. (3) Mounting an orbiting device on a conventional EDM die sinker. In detail, firstly, drill a hole on a work piece. Then drive a thread electrode into the hole. Finally, turn on the EDM power to electrode, supply dielectric fluid and orbiting the electrode to perform a thread by EDM machining. The drawbacks of this technique are that it is manually operated. Further, at least two types of tapping devices are required for machining the work piece into an acceptable one. This inevitably increases cost and it is inefficient. Thus improvement exists.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a combination hole drilling and thread tapping Electric-Discharge Machining (EDM) capable of selectively operating in a hole drilling mode and thread tapping mode. The EDM drill machine comprises with a rotation axis (as R axis) driven by the servo motor; machining axis (as Z axis) driven by the another one servo motor being capable of switching between a default mode and a servo following mode for realizing a spark feed; and a thread electrode extended down from the R axis through a guide; wherein a dielectric supply and the R axis rotates for performing the EDM tapping on the work piece. The invention has a plurality of configurations.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawings.

Combination drilling/tapping electric-discharge machining drill


A multi-stage method of insert molding is described including the steps of: providing a vertically movable first mold member with a cavity formed therein; providing a second mold member having a substantially flat upper molding surface; providing a third mold member having an upper end with a cavity formed therein; positioning an insert directly on the flat upper molding surface of the second mold member; positioning the first mold member with respect to the second mold member so that the cavity of the first mold member receives the insert; injecting a first flowable plastic material into the cavity in the first mold member to partially encapsulate the insert; allowing the first flowable plastic material to cool and solidify, thereby creating a first stage molding; removing the first mold member and the second stage molding from the second mold member; positioning the first mold member with respect to the third mold member so that the first stage molding registers with the cavity of the third mold member; injecting a second flowable plastic material into the cavity of the third mold member; allowing the second plastic material to cool and solidify to form a second stage molding; and ejecting the second stage molding from the cavities in the first and third mold members.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of insert molding and more particularly to a method of molding an insert or inserts in position during the molding process.
2. Description of the Related Art
Insert injection molding is a manufacturing process that is used in a variety of different industries and products. The definition of insert molding is commonly understood to be placing an object in an injection molding tool with plastic material being injected around the inserted component to either partially or totally encapsulate the inserted component.
Injection molding is used for a variety of reasons. It may be used to reduce the number of parts in the assembly by using the injected molded plastic to mechanically hold the assembly together. It may also be used to reduce wall thickness in some applications by eliminating the need for additional walls of metal or plastic for structural strength. Injection molding may simply be used to create a stronger, more robust assembly by joining the assembly together without the use of adhesive or other less reliable fastening techniques.
However, there are several limitations to conventional insert molding. The object that is to be insert molded must be held in place in the injection molding tooling during the extreme heat and pressure of the injection molding cycle. This sometimes is difficult unless the part is shaped a certain way with special features to hold and position it correctly. Using conventional methods, this is accomplished by the use of an insert holding device, sometimes referred to as a mandrel. Using conventional methods, the object to be encapsulated is attached to the mandrel and then both objects are placed into the injection molding tool during the injection molding cycle. When the cycle is complete and the plastic has had time to solidify, the mandrel is removed from the molded assembly. This procedure is cumbersome and timeconsuming. Also, after the mandrel has been removed, the hole which was occupied by the mandrel must be filled. This hole must be filled for mechanical, aesthetic, electrical or environmental reasons.
Another limitation of conventional insert molding techniques is the difficulty of protecting the inserted part from damage or deformation during the extreme temperature and pressure of injection molding inasmuch as internal cavity pressures sometimes exceed 10,000 psi and temperatures in excess of 600.degree. F.


A computer-implemented method for neutralizing file-format-specific exploits contained within electronic communications may include (1) identifying an electronic communication, (2) identifying at least one file contained within the electronic communication, and then (3) neutralizing any file-format-specific exploits contained within the file. In one example, neutralizing any file-format-specific exploits contained within the file may include applying at least one file-format-conversion operation to the file. Additionally or alternatively, neutralizing any file-format-specific exploits contained within the file may include constructing a sterile version of the file that selectively omits at least a portion of any exploitable content contained within the file. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

In recent years, malicious programmers have created a variety of sophisticated attacks aimed at high-profile or high-level entities, such as governments, corporations, political organizations, defense contractors, or the like. In many cases, the goal of such an attack is to gain access to highly sensitive or confidential information, such as financial information, defense-related information, and/or intellectual property (e.g., source code), and/or to simply disrupt an entity's operations.
Many such attacks involve sending emails to a targeted entity that contain an attachment that has been carefully crafted to take advantage of an as-yet-undiscovered vulnerability of a particular application (commonly known as a "zero-day" exploit). Because many security software companies attempt to combat malware by creating and deploying malware signatures (e.g., hash functions) that uniquely identify known malware, this type of targeted attack (commonly known as a "spear phishing" attack) is often difficult for traditional security software to detect and/or neutralize since the exploits in question have yet to be publicly discovered.
In addition, while traditional security software may allow entities to block access to email attachments of a particularly dangerous file type (such as executable files), many entities are reluctant to block access to a variety of commonly used, but nonetheless exploitable, file types (such as MICROSOFT OFFICE files, ADOBE ACROBAT files, media files, video files, etc.) since these file types are frequently used as a means for exchanging information electronically. Unfortunately, malicious programmers may take advantage of this fact by deploying spear-phishing attacks that include attachments that exploit vulnerabilities within such commonly used file types.
As such, the instant disclosure identifies a need for improved systems and methods for identifying and neutralizing exploits contained within email attachments that are crafted to take advantage of specific vulnerabilities within the applications designed to handle such attachments.

Systems and methods for neutralizing file-format-specific exploits included within files contained within electronic communications


A first conveying mechanism includes an intermediate conveying roller for conveying a recording sheet, an intermediate conveying roller shaft for supporting the intermediate conveying roller, an intermediate conveying roller drive mechanism for rotationally driving the intermediate conveying roller shaft, and a roller control mechanism for controlling movements of the intermediate conveying roller relative to the intermediate conveying roller shaft. The roller control mechanism performs skew correction along with conveying the recording sheet by rotating the intermediate conveying roller integrally with the intermediate conveying roller shaft while the intermediate conveying roller drive mechanism rotationally drives the intermediate conveying roller shaft and stops the rotational drive of the intermediate conveying roller shaft performed by the intermediate conveying roller drive mechanism after the skew correction to cause the intermediate conveying roller to be movable within a predetermined range in the axial direction of the intermediate conveying roller shaft.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet conveying apparatus for conveying a sheet such as a recording sheet in an image forming apparatus such as a printer.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, an image forming apparatus such as a printer has a conveying mechanism for conveying a sheet and a skew correcting mechanism for correcting skew of the sheet in a conveying direction.
The conveying mechanism includes a conveying roller rotated by a driving source and a pinching roller which is disposed opposite to the conveying roller to pinch the sheet and driven by the rotation of the conveying roller. The conveying mechanism conveys the sheet by rotating the conveying roller.
The skew correcting mechanism corrects the skew of the sheet in the conveying direction by abutting the front edge of the sheet against a registration roller or a registration shutter disposed upstream in the conveying direction of the sheet from an image forming section.
When skew correction is performed for a skewed sheet, the sheet is twisted between the skew correcting mechanism and the conveying mechanism, thereby generating a turning force M as shown in FIG. 7. This may cause skew again due to the turning force M after the skew correction of the sheet, which is to be sent to the image forming section.
As shown in FIG. 7, conveying rollers R1, R2, and R3 are supported by a rotating shaft C in a conventional image forming apparatus. The conveying rollers R1, R2, and R3 are attached to the rotating shaft C in a unified manner in the rotation direction around the rotating shaft C and are attached to the rotating shaft C movably in the axial direction of the rotating shaft C with coil springs S1 to S6 interposed between the conveying rollers R1, R2, and R3. In this image forming apparatus, skew of the sheet P is corrected by abutting the front edge of the sheet P in the conveying direction against the registration roller A. The image forming apparatus eliminates a thrust force F, which is generated by the turning force M caused by the twist (distortion) of the sheet P after the skew correction, by moving the conveying rollers R1, R2, and R3 in the axial direction of the rotating shaft C. Thus, the foregoing turning force M is eliminated, thereby solving the above problem.
Moreover, the coil springs S1 to S6 bias the conveying rollers R1, R2, and R3, which have been moved by the thrust force F, from axial both sides of the conveying rollers R1, R2, and R3, respectively. This enables the conveying rollers R1, R2, and R3 to return to predetermined positions, respectively, in some cases (Refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H02-018244).
Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-020993 proposes an arrangement for correcting skew of a sheet by measuring a skew amount of the sheet by using a sensor and varying a rotation amount of a pair of registration rollers disposed on both sides of the sheet in the width direction, which is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the sheet. Moreover, in this arrangement, besides the skew correction of the sheet, conveying rollers disposed upstream in the conveying direction of the sheet from the registration rollers are moved in an axial direction parallel to the width direction of the sheet.
The foregoing arrangement disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H02-018244, however, has a problem that a conveying path is not stable until the sheet abuts against the conveying rollers for performing skew correction of the sheet, since the plurality of conveying rollers are always movable in the axial direction of the conveying shaft.
Moreover, the conveying rollers is attached to the conveying shaft in a unified manner in the rotation direction around the conveying shaft in the arrangement disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H02-018244. Therefore, if a skew correction amount of the sheet is relatively large, the skew correction of the sheet may be insufficient to remove the twist of the sheet in some cases. Therefore, in order to achieve a sufficient effect, more or less it is necessary to slide the sheet toward the conveying rollers. On the other hand, however, there is a need to suppress sliding of the sheet as much as possible in order to obtain a sufficient conveying force to convey the sheet and it is difficult to satisfy both of the conditions incompatible with each other.
Therefore, it is difficult to prevent skew of the sheet while reliably conveying the sheet and therefore it has conventionally been a cause of a difference in force between the left and right sides in the width direction of the sheet and an uneven conveying distance. Thus, particularly a high-resolution ink jet recording apparatus has a problem that color unevenness and density unevenness occur in an image recorded on the sheet.
Further, in the arrangement disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-020993, there is a need to provide a plurality of drive mechanisms in order to drive the sensor for detecting skew of the sheet and the plurality of conveying rollers independently of each other, which leads to a problem of an increase in manufacturing cost and upsizing of the apparatus.

Sheet conveying apparatus and image forming apparatus


Computer-implemented methods and systems for detecting loop closure in SLAM applications can include accessing one or more range measurement data scans that each provide a collection of consecutively observed spatial data obtained at a given location. A relative scan pose for each range measurement data scan can be determined. Frames from each of the one or more range measurement data scans then can be aligned to frames within one or more submaps based at least in part by the determined relative scan pose. An enhanced scan pose for each range measurement data scan and an enhanced submap pose for each submap can be periodically determined and used to identify one or more closed loops within the one or more submaps. An output indicative of the identified one or more closed loops can be provided, along with optionally generated floorplan maps and/or given location determinations.

As-built floor plans are useful for a variety of applications. Manual surveys to collect this data for building management tasks typically combine computer-aided design (CAD) with laser tape measures. These methods can be slow and, by employing human preconceptions of buildings as collections of straight lines, do not always accurately describe the true nature of a modeled space.
Another known technology useful for generating as-built floor plans employs portable laser range-finders that gather LIDAR data coupled with simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) algorithms. Using SLAM, it is possible to swiftly and accurately survey buildings of sizes and complexities that would take orders of magnitude longer to survey manually. However, a need remains for increasing the accuracy of generated floor plans without significantly expanding the computational requirements of SLAM algorithms used in the process, especially for very large floor plans.

Systems and methods of detecting loop closure in simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) applications


A catalytic hydrocracking process which comprises: (a) contacting a hydrocarbonaceous feedstock having a propensity to form 11.sup.+ ring heavy polynuclear aromatic compounds and a liquid recycle stream in a hydrocracking zone with added hydrogen and a metal promoted hydrocracking catalyst at elevated temperature and pressure sufficient to convert a substantial portion of the feedstock to lower boiling hydrocarbon products; (b) partially condensing the hydrocarbon effluent from the hydrocracking zone to produce a gaseous hydrocarbon stream comprising hydrogen, and an unconverted hydrocarbon stream having components boiling above about 400.degree. F. (204.degree. C.) and comprising trace quantities of 11.sup.+ ring heavy polynuclear aromatic compounds; (c) partially condensing at least a portion of the gaseous hydrocarbon stream comprising hydrogen recovered in step (b) to produce a hydrogen-rich gaseous stream and a liquid stream comprising lower boiling hydrocarbon products; (d) contacting at least a portion of the unconverted hydrocarbon stream having components boiling above about 400.degree. F. (204.degree. C.) and comprising trace quantities of 11.sup.+ ring heavy polynuclear aromatic compounds recovered in step (b) with an adsorbent in an adsorption zone which selectively retains the 11.sup.+ ring heavy polynuclear aromatic compounds to produce an unconverted hydrocarbon stream having components boiling above about 400.degree. F. (204.degree. C.) and having a reduced concentration of 11.sup.+ ring heavy polynuclear aromatic compounds; (e) introducing at least a portion of the unconverted hydrocarbon stream having components boiling above about 400.degree. F. (204.degree. C.) and having a reduced concentration of 11.sup.+ ring heavy polynuclear aromatic compounds resulting from step (d) and the liquid stream recovered from step (c) into a separation zone to produce a stream of lower boiling hydrocarbon products and a stream of unconverted hydrocarbonaceous compounds boiling above about 400.degree. F. (204.degree. C.); and (f) recycling at least a portion of the stream of unconverted hydrocarbonaceous compounds boiling above about 400.degree. F. (204.degree. C.) recovered in step (e) and at least a portion of the unconverted hydrocarbon stream having components boiling above about 400.degree. F. (204.degree. C.) and having a reduced concentration of 11.sup.+ ring heavy polynuclear aromatic compounds resulting from step (d) to the hydrocracking zone as at least a portion of the liquid recycle stream.

The field of art to which this invention pertains is the hydrocracking of a hydrocarbonaceous feedstock having a propensity to form 11.sup.+ ring heavy polynuclear aromatic compounds without excessively fouling the processing unit. The 11.sup.+ ring heavy polynuclear aromatic compounds are considered to be refractory in a hydrocracking process, are highly resistant to conversion in a hydrocracking reaction zone and are therefore undesirable components in the combined feed or recycle to a hydrocracking reaction zone. More specifically, the invention relates to a catalytic hydrocracking process which comprises: (a) contacting a hydrocarbonaceous feedstock having a propensity to form 11.sup.+ ring heavy polynuclear aromatic compounds and a liquid recycle stream in a hydrocracking zone with added hydrogen and a metal promoted hydrocracking catalyst at elevated temperature and pressure sufficient to convert a substantial portion of the feedstock to lower boiling hydrocarbon products; (b) partially condensing the hydrocarbon effluent from the hydrocracking zone to produce a gaseous hydrocarbon stream comprising hydrogen, and an unconverted hydrocarbon stream having components boiling above about 400.degree. F. (204.degree. C.). and comprising trace quantities of 11.sup.+ ring heavy polynuclear aromatic compounds; (c) partially condensing at least a portion of the gaseous hydrocarbon stream comprising hydrogen recovered in step (b) to produce a hydrogen-rich gaseous stream and a liquid stream comprising lower boiling hydrocarbon products; (d) contacting at least a portion of the unconverted hydrocarbon stream having components boiling above about 400.degree. F. (204.degree. C.) and comprising trace quantities of 11.sup.+ ring heavy polynuclear aromatic compounds recovered in step (b) with an adsorbent in an adsorption zone which selectively retains the 11.sup.+ ring heavy polynuclear aromatic compounds to produce an unconverted hydrocarbon stream having components boiling above about 400.degree. F. (204.degree. C.) and having a reduced concentration of 11.sup.+ ring heavy polynuclear aromatic compounds; (e) introducing at least a portion of the unconverted hydrocarbon stream having components boiling above about 400.degree. F. (204.degree. C.) and having a reduced concentration of 11.sup.+ ring heavy polynuclear aromatic compounds resulting from step (d) and the liquid stream recovered from step (c) into a separation zone to produce a stream of lower boiling hydrocarbon products and a stream of unconverted hydrocarbonaceous compounds boiling above about 400.degree. F. (204.degree. C.); and (f) recycling at least a portion of the stream of unconverted hydrocarbonaceous compounds boiling above about 400.degree. F. (204.degree. C.) recovered in step (e) and at least a portion of the unconverted hydrocarbon stream having components boiling above about 400.degree. F. (204.degree. C.) and having a reduced concentration of 11+ring heavy polynuclear aromatic compounds resulting from step (d) to the hydrocracking zone as at least a portion of the liquid recycle stream.

Process for refractory compound removal in a hydrocracker recycle liquid


This present invention provides rapid, reproducible, biomarker-based screening methods for the developmental toxicity testing of compounds. The methods are designed to identify the exposure level at which a test compound perturbs metabolism in a manner predictive of developmental toxicity. In particular, the perturbation of two metabolites, ornithine and cystine, is measured, wherein a ratio of the fold change in ornithine to the fold change in cystine of less than or equal to about 0.88 is indicative of the teratogenicity of a test compound.

Birth defects are reported in approximately 3% of all human births and are the largest cause of infant mortality in the United States (Hoyert et al., 2006, Pediatrics; 117:168-183). Exposure to toxic chemicals and physical agents is believed to be responsible for approximately 3% of all birth defects (National Research Council, 2000, "Scientific frontiers in developmental toxicology and risk assessment," Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press).
It is understood that developmental toxicity can cause birth defects, and can generate embryonic lethality, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), dysmorphogenesis (such as skeletal malformations), and functional toxicity, which can lead to cognitive disorders such as autism. There is an increasing concern about the role that chemical exposure can play in the onset of these disorders. Indeed, it is estimated that 5% to 10% of all birth defects are caused by in utero exposure to known teratogenic agents that induce developmental abnormalities in the fetus (Beckman and Brent, 1984, Annu Rev Pharmacol; 24: 483-500). Concern exists that chemical exposure may be playing a significant and preventable role in producing birth defects (Claudio et al., 2001, Environm Health Perspect; 109: A254-A261).
However, this concern has been difficult to evaluate, due to the lack of robust and efficient models for testing developmental toxicity for the more than 80,000 chemicals in the market, plus the new 2,000 compounds introduced annually (General Accounting Office (GAO), 1994, Toxic Substances Control Act: Preliminary Observations on Legislative Changes to Make TSCA More Effective, Testimony, Jul. 13, 1994, GAO/T-RCED-94-263). Fewer than 5% of these compounds have been tested for reproductive outcomes and even fewer for developmental toxicity (Environmental Protective Agency (EPA), 1998, Chemical Hazard Data Availability Study, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxins). Although some attempts have been made to use animal model systems to assess toxicity (Piersma, 2004, Toxicology Letters; 149:147-53), inherent differences in the sensitivity of humans in utero have limited the predictive usefulness of such models.
Toxicity, particularly developmental toxicity, is also a major obstacle in the progression of compounds through the drug development process. Currently, toxicity testing is conducted on animal models as a means to predict adverse effects of compound exposure, particularly on development and organogenesis in human embryos and fetuses. The most prevalent models that contribute to FDA approval of investigational new drugs are whole animal studies in rabbits and rats (Piersma, 2004, Toxicology Letters; 149: 147-53). In vivo studies rely on administration of compounds to pregnant animals at different stages of pregnancy and embryonic/fetal development (first week of gestation, organogenesis stage and full gestation length). However, these in vivo animal models are limited by a lack of biological correlation between animal and human responses to chemical compounds during development due to differences in biochemical pathways. Species differences are often manifested in trends such as dose sensitivity and pharmacokinetic processing of compounds. According to the reported literature, animal models are approximately 60% efficient in predicting human developmental response to compounds (Greaves et al., 2004, Nat Rev Drug Discov; 3:226-36). Thus, there is a need for human-directed predictive in vitro models.
The thalidomide tragedy in the 1960s emphasized the importance of preclinical developmental toxicity testing, the significant differences among species in their response to potentially teratogenic compounds, and how the developing fetus can be affected by such compounds. Developmental toxicity testing of thalidomide in rodent models did not indicate the compound's teratogenic potential in humans. Over 10,000 children were born with severe birth defects following in utero exposure. Current preclinical models for detecting developmental toxicity have varying degrees of concordance with observed developmental toxicity in humans, with rats and rabbits (the most commonly used species for developmental toxicity testing) having approximately 70-80% concordance to known human teratogens (Daston G P and Knudsen T B, 2010, "Fundamental concepts, current regulatory design and interpretation," In: Knudsen T B, Daston G P, editors. Comprehensive Toxicology. Vol 12, 2nd ed. New York: Elsevier. p 3-9). These decades-old in vivo animal models require large numbers of animals, kilogram quantities of test compound, and are both time consuming and expensive. Due to the cost and complexity of these models, safety assessments often occur too late in the compound's life cycle for the developer to react to a positive developmental toxicity signal, and can result in the termination of the development of the compound or series. Though these animal models are, and have long been, considered the regulatory gold standard, differences in species response to a compound may lead to missed signals of developmental toxicity and biological misinterpretation. As such, the development of a new generation of tools using human cells for assessment of potential developmental toxicity risk related to chemical exposure is needed. The appropriate tests would also reduce product development time, control costs, and respond proactively to the call to decrease animal use.
Thus, there is a need for a relevant, predictive, accurate, low cost, and rapid human in vitro tests for reliably determining developmental toxicity of pharmaceutical agents and other chemical compounds.

Predicting human developmental toxicity of pharmaceuticals using human stem-like cells and metabolomic ratios


A stabilized vortex-shedding flowmeter for accurately measuring the flow rate of a liquid or gas conducted through a flow tube. The meter includes a front obstacle transversely mounted across the tube with its longitudinal axis normal to the flow axis of the tube. Supported behind the front obstacle and spaced therefrom by a gap is a rear obstacle constituted by a pair of parallel beams symmetrically disposed with respect to the flow axis and lying in a plane normal thereto. In operation, as the incoming fluid stream is divided by and flows past the front obstacle, a stagnant zone is created in the gap. This zone is initially aligned with the flow axis; but as vortices are successively detached from the front obstacle and appear alternately on either side of the gap, the low pressure produced by each vortex act to draw the stagnant zone in front of the beam adjacent thereto, the fluid then going around and past the other beam and imposing a drag force thereon. Since the vortices alternate, the drag forces imposed on the beams alternate at a rate proportional to the flow rate of the fluid. A transducer system is provided to sense the alternating activity in the tube and to generate a signal whose frequency is linearly related to the flow rate.

This invention relates generally to vortex shedding flowmeters, and more particularly to a low-cost flowmeter of this type capable of measuring both liquid and gas flow rates with exceptional accuracy.
When a fluid such as gasoline or natural gas is to be metered, the need for precise measurement becomes more pressing as the market price of the fluid increases. Thus when gasoline or fuel oil was relatively cheap, one was more tolerant of small metering errors, for these were not reflected in significant billing differences. But with the recent sharp rise in the cost of gasoline and fuel oil, purchasers are now insistent that these liquids be more precisely metered so that they are only called upon to pay for the exact amount of liquid supplied to them and no more. By the same token, suppliers of costly liquids also demand precise readings, for flow reading errors may underestimate the amounts supplied to customers and therefore be to the disadvantage of suppliers.
Flowmeters in present use which are capable of affording accurate flow rate readings are mainly of the turbine or of the positive displacement type. In a turbine meter, a rotor lies in the path of a stream which impinges on the rotor blades, imparting a force thereto setting the rotor in motion at a speed proportional to fluid velocity. In a positive-displacement meter, a measuring disc is caused to move in a nutating motion by an advancing volume of liquid.
While both the turbine meter and the positive-displacement meter afford accurate flow measurements when in good working condition, because they make use of moving parts which are subject to fouling by contaminants carried by the fluid being metered; and because the bearings or supports for the moving parts are subject to wear, their accuracy may be impaired by these factors. Moreover, mechanically-operated meters are relatively expensive, the cost of these meters escalating dramatically with more stringent accuracy requirements.
The concern of the present invention is with low-cost vortex-shedding flowmeters capable of metering gas or liquids with a high degree of accuracy. While vortex-shedding flowmeters of the type heretofore known represent a no-moving-parts alternative to turbine and positive displacement meters and do not suffer from the mechanical drawbacks of such meters, the fact is that in terms of accuracy, they fall considerably short of turbine and positive displacement meter performance. Hence before considering the structure and function of a highly linear vortex-shedding flowmeter in accordance with the invention, we shall first briefly review the present state of the art of vortex-shedding meters.
It is well known that under certain circumstances the presence of an obstacle in a flow conduit will give rise to periodic vortices. For small Reynolds numbers, the downstream wake is laminar in nature, but at increasing Reynolds numbers, regular vortex patterns are formed. These patterns are known as Karman vortex streets. The frequency at which vortices are shed in a Karman vortex street is a function of flow rate. It is this phenomenon which is exploited to create a vortex-shedding flowmeter to measure the volumetric flow of fluids being treated or supplied in order to carry out various control functions. Flowmeters of this type are disclosed in the Bird patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,116,639, and in the White patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,650,152. Existing flowmeters of the vortex shedding type are capable of effecting volumetric or mass flow measurement.
In a vortex-shedding flowmeter, the frequency of shedding is proportional to the velocity of fluid passing through the flow tube containing the shedding body, but only as long as the separation point from which shedding takes place remains fixed and the feedback mechanism causing shedding to transfer from one side of the body to the other remains constant.
In its most elementary form, the shedding body is a simple cylinder mounted across the flow tube. The difficulty experienced with this type of shedding body is that the separation point (i.e., the location at which vortices leave the body) shifts with Reynolds numbers. As a consequence, the vortex trail tends to meander down the flow tube behind the shedding body. If the angle of this vortex trail changes, the feedback mechanism causing shedding to take place from alternate sides of the shedding body also undergoes change, thereby giving rise to deviations from the predicted frequency of the shedder. As a result, meter accuracy and meter repeatability are poor.
Vortex meters are commercially available having shedding bodies which are designed to overcome these drawbacks by optimizing the shedding body width and geometry in relation to the flow tube size. The U.S. Pat. No. 3,572,117 to Rodely discloses a bluff body flowmeter having a prescribed geometric configuration designed to minimize irregularities in the oscillating wake. These meters constitute and improvement over meters having cylindrical shedding bodies. However, under less-than-ideal operating conditions, the vortex wake or trail created by these non-cylindrical shedding bodies will still, on occasion, become intermittent or meander, to produce the same disadvantages encountered with cylindrical bodies.
The Burgess U.S. Pat. No. 3,589,185 discloses an improved form of vortex-type flowmeter wherein the signal derived from the fluid oscillation is relatively strong and stable to afford a favorable signal-to-noise ratio insuring accurate flow-rate information over a fairly broad range. In this meter, an obstacle assembly is mounted in the flow conduit, the assembly being constituted by a block positioned across the conduit with its longitudinal axis at right angles to the direction of fluid flow, a strip being mounted across the conduit behind the block and being spaced therefrom to define a gap which serves to trap Karman vortices and to strengthen and stabilize the vortex street. This street is sensed to produce a signal whose frequency is proportional to flow rate.
In another Burgess Patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,888,120, dealing with a vortex-type flowmeter, there is disclosed an obstacle assembly constituted by a fixed front section contoured to cause flow separation of the incoming fluid stream whose flow rate is to be measured, and a rear non-streamlined section which is shaped to interfere with the vortex street in the wake of the front section and is cantilevered from the front section to define a gap. The rear section is slightly deflectable relative to the front section whereby it is excited into minute vibrations by the vortex street. These vibrations are sensed by a strain gauge to produce a signal proportional to flow rate.
The liquid vortex flowmeter Model 10 LV 1000, manufactured by the Fischer & Porter Company of Warminster, Pa., the assignee herein, operates in accordance with the principles set forth in Burgess U.S. Pat. No. 3,888,120. This liquid vortex flowmeter constitutes a commercially successful version of a vortex meter utilizing a two-section shedder to create a vortex street. It is an excellent flowmeter whose rate accuracy on low viscosity fluids, such as water, within a broad operating range is about 2%.
However, some flow rate measuring applications require a higher order of accuracy and still broader operating range. Also, in some applications the fluid being measured is subject to viscosity changes, turbulence and other disturbances which adversely affect the accuracy of the readings obtained with meters of the 10 LV 1000 type.
To provide a vortex-type flowmeter in which the frequency of vortex shedding is accurately related to fluid velocity regardless of turbulence, changes in fluid viscosity and other disturbing factors which tend to degrade this relationship, applicant's prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,030,355 (Herzl) discloses a flowmeter whose obstacle assembly is constituted by a fixed front section and a deflectable rear section cantilevered by beams from the front section, the rear section having a central opening therein to provide a fluid passage.
The front section of the Herzl patent flowmeter is contoured to cause flow separation of the incoming fluid, thereby dividing the stream to create a series of vortices that alternate with respect to the center line of the front section. As the vortices detach themselves from the front section, alternate areas of low pressure are created that shift from side-to-side, producing an oscillating thrust behind the front section and causing the deflectable rear section to swing periodically at a frequency proportional to the incoming fluid velocity. This swing is sensed by a strain gauge mounted on a beam from which the rear section is cantilevered.
The central opening in the rear section permits the flow of fluid therethrough and acts to smooth out turbulence behind the front section to a degree sufficient to create an orderly vortex trail straight down the center of the flow tube. This central passage significantly improves the accuracy and repeatability of the flowmeter.
In a vortex-shedding flowmeter of the Herzl patent type, the deflectable rear section is relatively heavy; and while this flowmeter has excellent hydraulic characteristics, it is quite sensitive to acceleration effects. Though it is possible to partially balance out these undesirable acceleration effects, some unbalance always remains.
Moreover, while the Herzl patent flowmeter design is generally effective in liquid flow rate measurement, it is not generally acceptable for metering gas flow. The reason for this limitation is that in liquid use, relatively large forces are generated by the vortices, whereas in gas flow measurement, the generated forces are smaller by many orders of magnitude, and the meter sensitivity is insufficient to respond effectively thereto, particularly if fading is encountered in the fluidic oscillations, as is sometimes the case.


An xe2x80x9cextra-foldedxe2x80x9d projection display system includes a selectively reflective material (e.g., a linear reflecting polarizer) placed immediately behind the system""s imaging screen. The display system includes an image projector that projects an image beam containing light of a predetermined linear polarization toward the imaging screen. The linear reflecting polarizer reflects the light in the image beam away from the screen. The reflected image beam then encounters a xc2xc-wavelength achromatic retarder which converts the linear polarization to circular polarization. The image beam next hits a mirror that reflects the light back through the xc2xc-wavelength achromatic retarder, which converts the circular polarization back to linear polarization, with the polarization director rotated 90xc2x0 from the original polarization director. The linear reflecting polarizer then allows the light to pass through to the image screen.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to projecting images.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, light projectors are used, for example, to display images on large surfaces, such as movie or television screens. In a front projection system 20, an image beam 24 is projected from an image source 21 onto the xe2x80x9cfrontxe2x80x9d side of a reflection-type angle transforming screen, which then reflects the light toward a viewer 27 positioned in front of the screen. In a rear projection system, the image beam is projected onto the xe2x80x9crearxe2x80x9d side of a transmission-type angle transforming screen 26 and transmitted toward a viewer 29 located in front of the screen.
Due to the physical properties of light, the size of the image beam 24 when it reaches the screen 26 depends upon the magnification rate of the image source 21 and the distance between the screen 26 and the image source 22. To efficiently utilize the screen 26, the image beam 24 should just fill the entire height S and width (not shown) of the screen 26. In FIG. 1, the image beam 24 fills the screen 26 when the source 22 is at an appropriate distance D from the screen 26, i.e., when the center of the image beam 24 follows an optical path 28 of length D. The optical oath length D depends upon the screen height S and the magnification rate of the image source. Any non-transparent object placed in the path of the image beam 24 typically will obstruct the image beam 24 and form a shadow on the screen 26.
Referring to FIG. 2, designers have reduced the size of the typical image projection system 30 by xe2x80x9cfoldingxe2x80x9d the optical path of the projected image beam to reduce the apparent projection length L of the system 30. The xe2x80x9cfoldedxe2x80x9d system 30 includes one or more mirrors 34, 36 placed at strategic points along the optical path to redirect the projected image and to form multiple optical subpaths D1 D2, D3. The overall system configuration in this optical system 30 is more rectilinear than the conical system configuration of FIG. 1.
In the folded image projection system 30, assuming that the image source 40 and the screen 32 are similar to those in FIG. 1, the image 38 fills the screen 32 entirely when the mirrors 34, 36 are positioned such that the combined length of the optical subpaths D1 D2, and D3 equals the optical path length D in FIG. 1, even though the apparent projection length L is less than D.
An xe2x80x9cextra-foldedxe2x80x9d projection display system includes a selectively reflective material (e.g., a linear reflecting polarizer) placed immediately behind the system""s imaging screen. The display system includes an image projector that projects an image beam containing light of a predetermined linear polarization toward the imaging screen. The linear reflecting polarizer reflects the light in the image beam away from the screen. The reflected image beam then encounters a xc2xc-wavelength achromatic retarder which converts the linear polarization to circular polarization. The image beam next hits a mirror that reflects the light back through the xc2xc-wavelength achromatic retarder, which converts the circular polarization back to linear polarization, with the polarization director rotated 90xc2x0 from the original polarization director. The linear reflecting polarizer then allows the light to pass through to the image screen.
Embodiments of the invention may include the following features. The system may include a powered optical element to further increase the xe2x80x9cfoldingxe2x80x9d of the image beam, change the magnification rate, provide distortion correction, or optimize packaging. The image beam may be folded even further by allowing it to reflect from the mirror twice and to pass through the achromatic retarder four times. The mirror may be positioned between the image source and the imaging screen.
Advantages of the invention may include one or more of the following. An optical element placed immediately behind the screen in a projection imaging system may act as a xe2x80x9cmirrorxe2x80x9d that increases the amount of folding that the light undergoes and therefore may reduce the apparent projection length, or depth, of the system to a greater extent than previously possible. The image source may be placed behind all optical elements in the display system, further reducing the size of the system.
Other advantages and features will become apparent from the following description and from the claims.