A method and conjugate for selectively killing antigen-activated T cells are disclosed. The conjugate is composed of a substantially uncharged antisense compound targeted against the human cFLIP protein, and a reverse TAT (rTAT) polypeptide coupled covalently to the antisense compound. The rTAT polypeptide is effective to produce selective uptake of the conjugate into antigen-activated T cells, relative to the uptake of the conjugate into non-activated T cells. The cFLIP antisense compound causes activation induced cell death (AICD) of activated lymphocytes. The method is useful in treating transplantation rejection and autoimmune conditions.

Transplantation of allogeneic donor cells, tissues or organs (transplantation between genetically different individuals of the same species) is used to treat a variety of conditions—typically tissue- or organ-failure conditions—and is often the sole or highly preferred therapeutic option. The list of successfully transplanted cells, tissues and organs includes kidney, heart, lung, liver, corneas, pancreas, marrow, skin, and bones. However, allogeneic transplantation involves significant risks and drawbacks, including graft rejection, complications from immunosuppressive therapy and graft-versus host disease which are frequently highly debilitating or lethal.
Rejection of allografts is presently understood to be initiated by the recognition of allogeneic (i.e. donor) major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules by recipient T-lymphocytes, leading to upregulated cellular and humoral immunity through activation of T cells. The MHC antigens are typically presented to the recipient T-lymphocytes by antigen presenting cells, such as macrophages and dendritic cells. Although immunosuppressive drugs such as cyclosporine may be used in an attempt to modulate rejection, these immunosuppressive agents have severe side effects and often fail to prevent continued rejection episodes.
Activated T cells also play a critical role in autoimmune disorders. Immunologic tolerance to self antigens is a necessary mechanism for protecting an organism from destruction by its own immune system. When this mechanism malfunctions, allowing self-reactive immune cells, including activated T cells, to proliferate, an autoimmune disease may develop within the host. A number of diseases such as multiple sclerosis, lupis, myathenia gravis, inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis, have been shown to result from loss of self-tolerance in T and B lymphocytes.
There is thus a need for therapeutic methods and compositions capable of inducing immunological tolerance with lower toxicity and improved efficacy.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Antisense compound for inducing immunological tolerance


Work items are collected from one or more work item providers for presentation to a workflow participant. A work item provider is typically a workflow management system (“WFMS”), but other providers of work items might exist that generate work items and may or may not have their own local worklist. Multiple independent WFMS's of multiple types might provide work items to a universal worklist (“UWL”) service that integrates the work items from all of the providers. Additional integration might be provided between the UWL and work item providers, such as for controlling work item execution with a sub-workflow through an ad-hoc workflow engine. Additional integration provides for custom attributes. Each work item has a type that is used to determine handling for that work item. A universal work list service includes storage for work items, wherein a work item represents a task generated as part of a process flow. An engine supporting the UWL service might track item types for work items and might obtain attribute values for attributes of the work item according to the work item's type.

In increasingly complex business operations, a business process might be formalized and facilitated using a workflow management system (WFMS). A WFMS typically includes a workflow engine that generates work items according to activities defined as workflows supporting one or more business processes. As an example, an organization might have a set process for approval for particular activity and the WFMS handles routing a corresponding work item among those individuals that need to sign off on the approval. For example, an employee desiring a vacation might initiate a "vacation approval" business object. A vacation application would then send an event to the WFMS, along with a reference to the business object (vacation request) and the WFMS would pick and start a workflow that corresponds to the triggering event. The vacation approval request would be routed among those others that would need to track, approve or just be notified of such a request, with a result of the work (e.g., approval, denial, etc.) routed back to the initiating employee. As another example, a product design process might involve a designer who designs the product, a product manager that reviews design documents from the designer, a marketing reviewer that approves, edits, etc. marketing details, each of whom has a work item related to the development. While some work items require human interaction, notice and/or decision-making, other work items might able to be automatically handled by the WFMS.
The work items needing a particular person's (or role's) input or notice might be presented to that person or role as an item on a worklist. In some cases, work items can be acted on directly from a presentation of a worklist, while others are acted on by the workflow participant taking an action outside the worklist. In addition, participants may have other tasks and collaborative events.
Some interactions might use the WFMS in part and use unrelated applications in part. For example, a work item might be generated for handling by a user that prompts the user to make a decision that requires information not present in the work item. For example, the work item might specify that employee A wants to take N days of vacation from date D1 to date D2 and request an approval/rejection response from the participant to whom the work item is assigned. That participant might then have to obtain further information externally, such as by conferring with A's group manager and relevant project managers, as well as checking with a human resources department or human resources application to determine if A has sufficient vacation time available.
Enterprise portals integrate heterogeneous applications, content and systems across extended enterprises, but generally portal integration combines application or system user interfaces. Existing workflow management systems have disadvantages that might be overcome by an improved workflow management system.

Universal worklist service and user interface


A cosmetic case according to the present invention for selectively receiving miniature cosmetic items includes a lower case portion having a bottom wall and a continuous side wall extending upwardly from a perimeter edge of the bottom wall, the lower case having an open top and defining an interior area. The cosmetic case includes an upper case portion pivotally coupled to a rear section of the side wall of the lower case portion and being selectively movable between open and closed configurations. A front section of the side wall defines a plurality of apertures configured to selectively receive the tubular cosmetic items into the interior area. The cosmetic case includes a spring loaded assembly configured to naturally urge the cosmetic items out of the interior area. A magnetic shelf in the lower case portion configured to support magnetic cosmetic receptacles.

This invention relates generally to cosmetics and cosmetic accessories and, more particularly, to a cosmetic case that is carried easily by a woman and which enables her to have access to miniature size cosmetics.
Makeup is traditionally provided in larger sizes and containers. However, a user may not need such a large quantity of selected makeup. The cost of current high quality makeup is
Relatively high and it can be cost prohibitive for women to have multiple colors and products, especially to take them with her while traveling, going to work, or the like. Further, the makeup may expire prior to the time that the user is able to use all of the makeup. In addition, a compact and easily carried case for carrying miniature makeup packages has not been proposed or marketed.
Therefore, there is a long-felt need for a makeup container or case that provides smaller samples of makeup that is easily replaceable. It would be desirable to have a cosmetic carrier uniquely configured to receive and contain miniature packages of cosmetic products. Further, it would be desirable to have a cosmetic case having spring loaded assemblies normally configured to release cosmetic products yet configured to retain them if selected.


A video display, which may be a television receiver with associated set top device, an intelligent television receiver, or a personal computer system enabled for television display, has associated therewith a remote control which controls modification of the visual images displayed. By use of the remote control, a human observer may cause a processor controlling the video display to execute a control program formulated in a particularly concise language and controlling the display of menus and the like.

This invention relates to consumer use of what is here called the "television space". That is, the use of video/audio signal streams such as in the past have been distributed by broadcast over radio frequency bands or by cable distribution, or made available from video recorder/player devices such as cassette recorders or video disc player, or made available from direct, live sources such as cameras, game systems or computers. Such video/audio signal streams, whether carrying analog or digitally encoded information, have come to represent a significant resource to most consumers for information and entertainment.
Access to the television space has, in the past, been achieved by use of a television receiver. Then came changes in the methods of distribution, leading to the use of various set top devices such as cable boxes for analog signal streams, recorder/players, game machines, home cameras, etc. As such devices using the television space have proliferated, so also have the associated control devices. As television space technology has approached what is presently known as the "home theater", systems having as many as seven or more constituent components which are connected one to another have become possible. In such a systems of systems, several or even all of the constituent systems may have its own remote control device, intended to enable a human observer to control the functionality of the respective constituent system while avoiding the necessity of directly manipulating control available at the face of the system. With the proliferation of systems, a user is frequently faced with a proliferation of remote control devices.
At the same time as remote controls have been proliferating, attempt to provide a "universal" remote have been made. Such attempts have resulted in remote controls having a manual interface, usually in the form of buttons, which approaches or exceeds the limits of human usefulness. By way of example, there are remote control devices offered with certain of the component systems for home theater use which may have fifty or so separate (and separately or jointly operable) buttons.
Such a proliferation of controls and proliferation of control functions results in an unmanageable situation for a consumer. Coordinating control among a plurality of remote control devices and system elements becomes quickly difficult to the point of impossibility. Further, the user interfaces easily become confused. It becomes difficult for a human observer to be certain of the response which may be achieved by selecting and actuating a particular button on a particular remote control.
The present invention proposes that these difficulties be resolved by providing, for the television space and for other environments presenting similar problems of resource allocation and navigation, a single remote control device which cooperates with a display controller and with control programs executed by the display controller and an associated central processing unit (CPU). The remote control device, in accordance with this invention, has access to the resources of the entire system with which it is related. Further, the navigation among functions available and resource allocation is accomplished by display of on-screen images which overlay or modify the images derived from the video/audio streams entering the television space. This is accomplished with minimal buttons to be actuated by the human observer.

Video receiver display of cursor overlaying video

International Business Machines Corporation


A Wireless Avionics Intra-Communications (WAIC) interface device provides communication between a portable electronic device and a WAIC controller. The WAIC interface device includes a housing, a wireless antenna, wireless access point electronics, and an interface controller. The housing is configured to be mounted to an interior surface of an aircraft and to receive and engage the portable electronic device. The wireless access point electronics are connected via a communication port to a first wired connection to communicate with the WAIC controller. The interface controller authenticates the portable electronic device. A WAIC coordinator is connected to the WAIC controller via a second wired connection, and is configured to communicate wirelessly over a WAIC frequency range between 4.2 gigahertz (GHz) and 4.4 GHz. An end node includes a transceiver configured to communicate wirelessly with the WAIC coordinator over the WAIC frequency range between 4.2 gigahertz (GHz) and 4.4 GHz.

The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, and in particular to a Wireless Avionics Intra-Communications (WAIC) interface device.
Modern aircraft typically transmit data between sensors and systems positioned about the aircraft using wired aircraft data buses, such as serial or other wired data buses. Using the data buses, data is routed between producing systems and consuming systems for operational monitoring and control of the aircraft. Certain data is routed to flight display systems, such as primary flight displays (PFDs) or an electronic flight instrument system (EFIS) located in the aircraft cockpit.
Recently, portable electronic devices such as tablet computers have been used in the cockpit as ancillary interfaces which display certain aircraft operational data and receive user input for, e.g., flight planning, flight optimization, takeoff and landing checklists, prognostic and diagnostic health operations, or other aircraft flight planning and control operations. The portable electronic devices provide supplemental interfaces for display and user input without requiring additional display and/or input devices mounted in the cockpit, thereby reducing space, weight, and cost associated with the additional interfaces.
The portable electronic devices often communicate wirelessly with one or more aircraft systems and devices to receive information for display and to transmit user input information for operational control of the aircraft. Such wireless communications, though often encrypted or otherwise protected, are typically transmitted over frequency ranges that are accessible to commercially available electronic devices, such as the 900 megahertz (MHz), 2.4 GHz, 3.6 GHz, 5 GHz, and/or 60 GHz frequency bands. Indeed, the portable electronic devices used as ancillary pilot and/or crew interfaces are also often commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) devices which communicate wirelessly in one or more of the standard frequency bands.
More recently, to decrease the space, weight, and cost associated with wired aircraft data buses, wireless communications between aircraft systems and/or sensors has been considered. To increase available bandwidth and to enhance security, the Wireless Avionics Intra-Communications (WAIC) standard has been proposed. The WAIC standard specifies wireless communications in a frequency range between 4.2 gigahertz (GHz) and 4.4 GHz. In addition, the WAIC standard specifies that WAIC communications are limited to wireless communications only between aircraft systems and/or components.


The easel comprises a flat, generally diamond-shaped member formed of resilient, non-scratching material of limited flexibility. The member is scored to provide a line of weakness extending thereacross between its opposed oblique angle points. When bent along the line of weakness, the member adopts a two-sided pyramidal form. In this form, the member has rearwardly inclined, load-supporting front edges and bottom edges. The front edges form forwardly spaced and upwardly projecting hooks and slots close to their lower ends. The hooks function to suspend, retain and frictionally engage the lower edge of a generally flat item received in the slots to be displayed, such as a card, plate or the like. The sides of the easel member can be moved closer together or apart to vary the angle of inclination of the load-supporting edges, thereby varying the angularity of the displayed item. Frictional engagement between the hooks and the display item functions to prevent the side walls of the easel member from sliding apart when loaded.

As stated, the present easel was developed for suspending a flat display item, such as a card, in an upstanding position.
In developing the easel, the following attributes were sought:
that it should be flat in the knocked down state, for shipping; PA1 that it should suspend the display item above the support surface, so that the support surface will not be scratched by the displayed item; PA1 that the easel should be adjustable, so that the angularity of the display item can be varied; PA1 that the easel should have good footing and a good grip on the display item, so that the assembly is not easily overturned. PA1 it includes a generally diamond-shaped, flat easel member formed of resilient, stiff but still flexible, non-scratching material, the opposed side edges of the member being parallel; PA1 the easel member preferably has a line of weakness extending transversely thereacross between its oblique angle points, whereby the member may be easily bent along the line to form a generally pyramidal structure having open front and bottom sides, one pair of parallel side edges forming the base edges of the structure, the other pair forming rearwardly inclined, load-supporting front edges; PA1 each load-supporting edge forms a forwardly protruding hook-like member (hereafter also referred to as "hook") defining an upwardly opening slot. The hook is spaced above but close to the adjacent bottom edge of the easel member. PA1 The hooks function to prevent the supported upright display item from sliding downwardly and forwardly; PA1 The load is rearwardly inclined by resting against the front edges of the pyramidal member and its weight is transferred onto the strut formed along the bend line of the member; PA1 Tension is developed in the side walls of the easel member as the load is transmitted down through the strut of the easel member and the hooks, integral with the side walls, engage the base of the load item--this tension enables a structure constructed from a relatively flimsy flat sheet to support a relatively heavy load with surprising rigidity; and PA1 The tension created and the flexible nature of the material used enable frictional engagement to be used as the means for fixing the relative positioning of the easel sidewalls.
The following relevant prior art patents were noted in the prosecution of the parent of this application:
Wight in U.K. patent 113,330 teaches an easel which is flat in the knocked down state. The easel has triangular segments and is adapted to be bent along scored lines to form a pyramidal structure. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the structure may have steps or projections extending forwardly at the base of its front edges, upon which the display card may rest.
Bird in U.S. Pat. No. 777,658 teaches a metal strip forming upwardly projecting hooks at each of its ends. The strip is bent into semi-circular form and a small display card may be inserted into the slots created by the hooks.


A word line driver has a decoder for outputting decode signals having first and second logic levels, level shifters for receiving the respective decode signals, each level shifter outputting drive signal having first and third logic levels in response to the received decode signal, the third logic level being higher than the second logic level; a pumping circuit for outputting word line activation signals, at least one of the word line activation signals having the third logic level; and groups of output circuits, each group having the output circuits connected to one of the level shifters and a word line, respectively, each of the output circuits outputting the word line activation signal to the respective word line in response to the decode signal and the drive signal.

This invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit device such as a Dynamic Random Access Memory (hereinafter called "DRAM"), a Static Random Access Memory (hereinafter called "SRAM"), a Read Only Memory (hereinafter called "ROM") or the like, and particularly to a word line driver employed in the semiconductor integrated circuit device.
A semiconductor memory device such as a DRAM has a word line driver for selecting one of plural memory cells. This type of word line driver has been disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 63-113888, laid-open to public inspection on May 18, 1988.

Word line driver in a semiconductor memory device


Disclosed is a folding knife with safety device, which includes a main knife, a revolving shaft, a first liner plate, a first rivet, a switch lock sheet, a first handle part, a second handle part, a second liner plate and a spacer sleeve. The first liner plate is provided with a resilient lock sheet, an elongated slot, a stopper portion, a first rivet, a second rivet and a third rivet; the switch lock sheet is provided with a first rivet slot, a skidproof rack, a second rivet slot, a labor-saving slot, a locking contact, and a buckle; and the first handle part is provided with an axle hole, a holding slot, a holding hole and a screw hole. The present invention has advantages of simple structure, easy of use and stable performance.

In the existing safety device of folding knife, specifically liner lock folding knife, the switch of the safety device is generally provided with independent spring component, and due to such a structure, it is not convenient to be installed and it is easy to cause low stability because of the spring. Additionally, in most cases, the switch of the safety device is provided at a middle position of outer side surface of the handle, and due to such a structure, it is not convenient to operate and it affects the appearance of the handle.

GUANGXI RUIKE OUTDOOR TOOLS MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.


The present invention relates to acetyl coenzyme-A carboxylase (“ACC”) inhibiting compounds of the formula

Acetyl coenzyme-A carboxylases (ACC) catalyze the rate limiting reaction in fatty acid biosynthesis in plants and animals. ACC is a biotin containing enzyme which catalyzes the carboxylation of acetyl CoA to form malonyl CoA in a two-step reaction. Beaty and Lane, J. Biol. Chem. 1982, 257:924 929. The first step is the ATP-dependent carboxylation of biotin covalently linked to the enzyme. In the second step, a carboxyltransferase step, the carboxyl group is transferred to the substrate, acetyl CoA, to form malonyl CoA.
Malonyl-CoA is an intermediate substrate that plays an important role in the overall fatty acid metabolism: malonyl-CoA is utilized (as C2 donor) by fatty acid synthase for de novo synthesis of long chain fatty acids, and also acts as a potent allosteric inhibitor of carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT1), a mitochondrial membrane protein that shuttles long chain fatty acyl CoAs into the mitochondria where they are oxidized. Ruderman N. and Prentki M, Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2004; 3:340-51. An inhibitor of ACC would thus limit de novo lipid synthesis, de-inhibit CPT1 and subsequently increase fat oxidation.
In mammals, there are two known isoforms of acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACC) that are encoded by distinct genes and share approximately 70% amino acids identity. ACC1(ACCα), a 265 KD protein, is highly expressed in the cytosol of lipogenic tissues such as liver and adipose tissue, where fatty acids are synthesized. ACC2 (ACCβ), a 280 KD protein, is expressed mainly in oxidative, non-lipogenic, tissues, such as skeletal muscle and heart muscle, although some is also found in liver. Mao J. et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2003, 100:7515-20; Abu-Elheiga L. et al., J Biol Chem 1997; 272:10669-77. Malonyl CoA produced by ACC1 is preferentially converted into fatty acids by fatty acid synthase. Abu-Elheiga L. et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2000; 97:1444-9.
The malonyl CoA postulated to be formed by ACC2 locally on the mitochondrial surface regulates the palmitoyl CoA shuttle system. Abu-Elheiga L. et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2000; 97:1444-9. Malonyl CoA is a potent inhibitor of carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1 (CPT-1), and as a consequence, it decreases the fatty acid flux into the mitochondria. Thus, reduction of ACC2 activity would reduce local malonyl CoA levels and increase fatty acid β-oxidation concomitantly reducing triacylglycerol (TAG) synthesis. Munday, Biochem Soc Trans. 2001 30:1059-64; Yamauchi T. et al. Nat Med 2001; 7:941-6.
ACC is a potential target in metabolic diseases, such as metabolic syndrome, obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, diabetes, atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular diseases, which are mediated by abnormal fatty acid metabolism. An inhibitor of ACC would potentially limit de novo lipid synthesis, de-inhibit CPT1 and subsequently increase fat oxidation. Increased rates of muscle fatty acid oxidation, a reduced fat content and a reduction in total body fat were observed in ACC-2 knock-out mice (Abu-Elheiga et al., Science 2001, 291:2613 2616; Abu-Elheiga et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 2003 100:10207 10212). Harwood et al. reported that ACC inhibitors caused reduction in fatty acid synthesis, increase in fatty acid oxidation, and reduction of respiratory quotient in rats. Harwood et al., J. Biol. Chem. 2003, 278:37099 37111. Chronic dosing of these compounds resulted in the reduction of whole body fat mass and improvement of insulin sensitivity. Harwood et al., J. Biol. Chem. 2003, 278:37099 37111. These observations further validated the enzyme as a drug target.
Several non-natural product small molecule have been identified which target ACC for the prophylaxis or treatment of metabolic syndrome, atherosclerosis, diabetes, and obesity, see, U.S. Pat. No. 6,979,741, US Applications No. 2007/0219258, No. 2007/0219251, and No. 2003/0187254. There is a continuing need and a continuing search in this field of art for more potent therapeutic agents.

Abstract: wherein the variables are as defined herein. In particular, the present invention relates to ACC1 and/or ACC2 inhibitors, compositions of matter, kits and articles of manufacture comprising these compounds, methods for inhibiting ACC1 and/or ACC2, and methods of making the inhibitors.


An oil filter mounting adapter includes a nipple for connecting an oil filter and a camrod engaged with the nipple. Rotation of the camrod produces a translation of the nipple which draws the oil filter toward a face of the adapter and seals the filter against the adapter. Rotation of the camrod requires only low torque, which simplifies removal and replacement of the oil filter. In embodiments, the camrod is positionable in a location which is easily accessible to the user. Embodiments include a detent which restricts motion of the camrod, and which may be released by hand.

Engine oil filters of the common spin-on type are typically threaded directly onto a mounting boss of an engine block and tightened to form a seal. To remove the filter, the seal must be broken which requires the application of considerable torque using a filter wrench or similar tool. Accessing the oil filter for installation or removal with a tool may be difficult due to space constraints. In addition, the oil filter may be damaged during an attempted removal, increasing the difficulty of the process.
Adapters for mounting oil filters include sandwich adapters, which may allow connection with sensors or cooling kits. Offset-type adapters allow mounting the filter at some location remote from the engine. These adapters commonly include a thread for directly mounting and sealing the filter, and do not address the aforementioned difficulties with the filter installation and removal.
There is therefore a need in the art for an oil filter mounting adapter which simplifies the installation and removal of an engine oil filter.


A venous valve incising cutter includes a cutting teeth head, a guide, a wire and a coupling rod that couples the guide and a cutting teeth head, all aligned in a rotation axis thereof. More than four pieces of cutting blades are formed on the outer surrounding surface of the cutting teeth head. Each cutting blade has a roughly triangular pyramid shape such that the three ridge lines are composed of the outer surrounding surface of the cutting teeth head and the two planes formed in the reverse side of the outer surrounding surface and the apex is a knife-point of the cutting blade.

Artery occlusion in lower limb due to arteriosclerosis obliterans, Buerger's disease, arterial embolism etc. causes circulatory deficit in legs and toes probably resulting in ulcers and/or necrosis thereof, that is called, severe ischemic limbs. One of reliable therapy for severe ischemic limbs is a bypass surgery to graft an autologous vein to the lower limb artery that has occlusion. An example of such bypass surgery is femoropopliteal artery revascularization.
Patients with arteriosclerosis obliterans recently increase due to aging of population, increase of diabetic patients and dialyzed patients. The increase of patients with severe ischemic limbs that are terminal illnesses of arteriosclerosis obliterans is deeply concerned. However, there is no sufficient number of vascular surgeons that carry out the operation for femoropopliteal artery revascularization.
In femoropopliteal artery revascularization, it is required to bypass the occluded artery from the center (near to heart) to the periphery (far from heart) in order to make blood circulation to periphery over the occluded portion of the artery. For such artery revascularization, a great saphenous vein is autogenously used as the best biomaterial for such bypassing. There are reverse, non-reverse and in-situ treatments for surgical approaches adopted in femoropopliteal artery revascularization.
FIGS. 1A and 1B show blood flow and opening or closing of a venous valve in vein 1. FIGS. 1A and 1B specifically show the opening of a venous valve 2 in the blood flow from the periphery P to the center C and the closing of the venous valve 2 in that from the center C to the periphery P, respectively.
In most cases, arteries exist from the heart to the periphery in parallel to the veins. Arteries have rather thick and elastic blood vessel wall and conduct the artery blood pumped in heartbeat from the heart to the peripheries. On the other hand, vein 1 has less elastic blood vessel wall than artery. The venous blood is pushed back to the heart from the peripheries by opening and closing function of a venous valve 2 and pumping function of muscles in the lower limbs or upper limbs.
The normal venous valve 2 cannot invert opening to the periphery P.
A plurality of venous valves 2 exits in the inner cavity of the vein 1 as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The venous valve 2 is a bileaflet valve and let the blood pass from the peripheries to the center as shown in FIG. 1A. When the blood turns to change the flow orientation as flowing from center to the peripheries, the venous valves 2 close and block such flow orientation of the blood, as shown in FIG. 1B. The center side of the venous valve 2, the intravenous valvular sinus 4 inflates by the blood pressure.
In the reverse treatment, a treatment of those adopted for femoropopliteal artery revascularization, a vein 1 is, as an autologous vein, taken off by cutting it off from a vein staying usually near body surface. Putting it in the center C side in the periphery side, the cut end of the center side of the vein is anastomosed to the periphery side of the occluded portion of the artery and then the cut end of the periphery side of the vein to the center side of the occluded portion of the artery.
In the non-reverse treatment, the vein is not reversely put, as the center C side is put in the periphery side after cutting off and it is anastomosed to the artery over the occluded portion as the center side of the vein is anastomosed to the center side of the occluded portion of the artery and the periphery side to the periphery side of the occluded portion of the artery. The orientation of the harvested vein is same as that of the artery.
In the in-situ treatment, the vein existing close to and in parallel to the artery that has an occlusion is anastomosed thereto as a bypassing blood vessel.
In-situ treatment is superior to the reverse treatment and the non-reverse one in terms of not cutting off from the vein to obtain the grafting vessel. In the actual treatment, the vein close to the artery is cut at the center side and periphery side parallel to those sides of the occluded portion of the artery. The vein is harvested from the original position of the cut portion of the vein 1. The branching vessel 6 that branches from the harvested vein is closed and the harvested vein is anastomosed to the artery at the two cut ends but still staying in parallel to the artery.
In the reverse treatment, the orientation of blood flow in the vessel is unchanged before and after grafting since the vein 1 as cut as an autologous vein 1 (as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B) is reversely put the center C side to the periphery side. Therefore, the artery blood does not stagnate in the vessel after anastomosing the vein to the artery without cutting venous valves.
However, the veins tend to be generally thicker as closer they are to the heart. Even in case that they have the same diameters in the center C side and the peripheries P side, the portion in the center C has more elastic and stretchable than that in the peripheries P. Therefore, the harvested vein has to be anastomosed to a thick artery in the center C side with the periphery side of the thin portion of the harvested vein and thin artery in the periphery P side with the center side of the thick portion of the harvested vein.
On the other hand, the thick and elastic portion of the vein 1 (that is, the center C side of the vein 1) can be anastomosed to the thick portion of the artery and the thin and less elastic portion of the vein 1 (that is, the periphery P side of vein 1) to the thin portion of the artery in the non-reverse and the in-situ treatments. As the result, the anastomosed vein has the similar taper by nature to the artery as the thicker the closer to the heart.
However the artery blood flow, that is in the orientation from the center C side to the peripheries P, is inverse flow orientation in the vein 1 (an autologous vein). Therefore, the blood flow in the grafted vein (an autologous vein) anastomosed to the artery is blocked by the venous valves 2. To obtain normal blood flow of the grafted vein in non-reverse and in-situ treatments, a treatment to destroy the venous valves 2 in the vein 1 (an autologous vein) is required.

Venous valve incising blades, manufacturing method of the same and artery revascularization treatment using the same


An electrical terminal assembly comprising an electrical terminal has an insulation displacement contact having a base portion from which extend a pair of coplanar arms defining a slot for receiving an insulated lead. A restraining flange projecting from the top of each arm at right-angles to its plane terminates in a foot which is received in a well in a housing having a cavity receiving the terminal assembly. The well is dimensioned to allow the foot to move parallel to the plane of the arms but not at the right angles thereto. The arms cannot, therefor, twist about their longitudinal axes under the lead insertion force, but can move in their own planes to accommodate the metal cone of the lead as it is forced into the slot.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an insulation displacement terminal assembly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,970 an electrical terminal assembly comprising an electrical terminal having an insulation displacement contact comprising a pair of coplanar arms projecting from a base portion and having opposed edges co-operating to define between them, a lead receiving slot opening in a direction away from the base portion.
In this known terminal assembly the base portion of the terminal is supported in a first housing. In order to insert an insulated lead into the lead receiving slot of the terminal, the lead is supported in a second housing having a slot for receiving the arms of the insulation displacement contact, and the first and second housings are mated so that the lead is forced into the lead receiving slot, so that the edges of the slot make firm electrical contact with the metal core of the lead.
It has been found that the natural tendency of the lead core under the lead insertion force is to cause one arm of the insulation displacement contact to move in a direction other than the plane of the plate forming the IDC slot and the other arm of the contact moves in the opposite sense. Such opposite displacement of the arms tends to cause the distance between the edges of the lead receiving slot to increase, thereby impairing the electrical conductivity between the lead core and the insulation displacement contact.

Insulation displacement electrical terminal assembly


The present invention provides an oligonucleotide which is capable of activating RIG-I and inducing an anti-viral, in particular, an IFN, response in cells expressing RIG-I. The present invention further provides an oligonucleotide which is capable of activating RIG-I and which has target gene-silencing activity. The oligonucleotide of the present invention has a double-stranded section of at least 19, preferably at least 21 bp, at least one 5′ triphosphate, and at least one blunt end which bears a 5′ triphosphate. The present invention further provides the use said oligonucleotide for inducing an anti-viral, in particular, an IFN, response in vitro and in vivo. The present invention additionally provides the use of said oligonucleotide for preventing and/or treating diseases or conditions such as infections, tumors/cancers, and immune disorders.

The presence of viral nucleic acids represents a danger signal for the immune system which initiates an anti-viral response to impede viral replication and eliminate the invading pathogen1. Interferon (IFN) response is a major component of the anti-viral response and comprises the production of type I IFNs, IFN-α and IFN-β. An anti-viral response also comprises the production of various other cytokines, such as IL-12, which promote innate and adaptive immunity1.
In order to detect foreign nucleic acids, immune cells are equipped with a set of pattern recognition receptors (PRR) which act at the frontline of the recognition process and which can be grouped into two major classes: the Toll-like receptors and the RNA helicases.
Members of the Toll-like receptor (TLR) family have been implicated in the detection of long dsRNA (TLR3)2, ssRNA (TLR7 and 8)3,4, short dsRNA (TLR7)5 and CpG DNA (TLR9)6. The TLRs reside primarily in the endosomal membranes of the immune cells7, 8 and recognize viral nucleic acids that have been taken up by the immune cells into the endosomal compartments9.
RNA helicases, such as RIG-I, MDA-5 and LGP-2, have been implicated in the detection of viral RNA10, 11. In contrast to the TLRs, the RNA helicases are cytosolic and are expressed in a wide spectrum of cell types, including immune cells and non-immune cells, such as fibroblasts and epithelial cells12. Therefore, not only immune cells, but also non-immune cells which express one or more of the RNA helicase(s), are capable of detecting and responding to viral RNA.
Both the TLR and the RNA helicase systems co-operate to optimally detect viral RNA.
Given the abundance of host RNA present in the cytoplasm, it is an intricate task to specifically and reliably detect virus-derived RNA. Maximal sensitivity together with a high degree of specificity for "non-self" are required. Two major mechanisms appear to be in place in vertebrate cells to distinguish "non-self" from "self" nucleic acids via a protein receptor-based recognition system: (1) the detection of a pathogen-specific compartmentalization, and (2) the detection of a pathogen-specific molecular signature or motif.
Endosomal RNA is recognized by the TLRs as "non-self"4. Notably, host RNA can acquire the ability to stimulate an IFN response via the activation of TLRs under certain pathological situations13.
Furthermore, there exist structural motifs or molecular signatures that allow the pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) to determine the origin of an RNA. For example, long dsRNA has been proposed to stimulate an IFN response via TLR32, RIG-I11 and MDA-514. The present inventors recently identified the 5′ triphosphate moiety of viral RNA transcripts as the ligand for RIG-I15, 19. Even though nascent nuclear endogenous host RNA transcripts initially also contain a 5′ triphosphate, several nuclear post-transcriptional modifications, including 5′ capping, endonucleolytic cleavage, and base and backbone modifications, of the nascent RNA transcripts lead to mature cytoplasmic RNAs which are ignored by RIG-I. In addition, blunt-ended short dsRNA without any 5′ phosphate group16 or with 5′ monophosphate24 has also been postulated to stimulate RIG-I. A clearly defined molecular signature has not yet been reported for the ssRNA-sensing TLRs, TLR7 and TLR8. However, the fact that certain sequence motifs are better recognized than others by the TLRs suggests that the nucleotide composition of the RNA, on top of endosomal localization, may represent basis for discriminating between "self" and "non-self" by the TLRs3-5, 10, 11, 17, 18.
Despite its pivotal role in anti-viral defense, the mechanism of viral RNA recognition by RIG-I is not yet fully elucidated. Therefore, there is a need in the art to better understand the recognition of viral and/or other non-self RNA by RIG-I. Furthermore, given the efficacy of IFN-α in various clinical applications, there is a need in the art to provide alternative agents for inducing IFN-α production in vitro and in vivo.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to further identify the structural motifs or molecular signatures of an RNA molecule which are recognized by RIG-I. It is another object of the present invention to prepare RNA molecules which are capable of activating RIG-I and inducing an anti-viral, in particular, an IFN, response in cells expressing RIG-I. It is a further object of the present invention to use said RNA molecules for inducing an anti-viral, in particular, an IFN, response in vitro and in vivo. It is an ultimate object of the present invention to use said RNA molecules for preventing and/or treating diseases or conditions which would benefit from an anti-viral, in particular, an IFN, response, such as infections, tumors/cancers, and immune disorders.
Cellular transformation and progressive tumor growth result from an accumulation of genetic and epigenetic changes that alter normal cell proliferation and survival pathways38. Tumor pathogenesis is accompanied by a process called cancer immunoediting, a temporal transition from immune-mediated tumor elimination in early phases of tumor development to immune escape of established tumors. The interferons (IFNs) have emerged as central coordinators of these tumor-immune-system interactions39. Due to their plasticity tumors tend to evade single-targeted therapeutic approaches designed to control proliferation and survival of tumor cells40. Tumors even evade immunotherapies that are directed at multiple tumor antigens41.
It is therefore a further object of the present invention to use said RNA molecules for inducing apoptose, or both for inducing an anti-viral, in particular, an IFN, response in vitro and in vivo and for inducing apoptosis in the same molecule.
There remains a need in the art for combinatorial approaches that suppress tumor cell survival and at the same time increase immunogenicity of tumor cells in order to provide more effective tumor treatments42, 43.

5′ triphosphate oligonucleotide with blunt end and uses thereof


A superconducting magnet includes a superconducting coil, a heat shield surrounding the superconducting coil, a vacuum chamber accommodating the heat shield, a magnetic shield covering at least a part of the vacuum chamber, and a refrigerating machine fixed to the vacuum chamber to cool the superconducting coil through a heat conducting body. The magnetic shield abuts against said vacuum chamber with an elastic body therebetween to support the vacuum chamber.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2-78208 (PTD 1) is a related art document disclosing a configuration of a superconducting magnet. According to the superconducting magnet disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2-78208 (PTD 1), one side of a flange of a refrigerating machine port is attached to a magnetic shield through a vibration-proof body. Further, the other side of the flange of the refrigerating machine port is coupled to bellows constituting a vacuum chamber.


Novel thermoplastic molding compositions are disclosed which comprise a copolymer of a vinyl aromatic compound with an .alpha.,.beta.-unsaturated cyclic anhydride and a hydrogenated A-B-A block copolymer or a block copolymer of the A'-B'-A' type or an acrylic graft polymerization copolymer with or without a polyphenylene ether resin.

The term "polyphenylene ether resin" includes a family of polymers well known to those skilled in the art, they are made by a variety of catalytic and non-catalytic processes from the corresponding phenols or reactive derivatives thereof. By way of illustration, certain of the following polyphenylene ethers are discussed in Hay, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,306,874 and 3,306,855, and in Stamatoff, U.S. Pat. No. 3,257,357 and 3,257,358. Also, the Bennett and Copper patents, U.S. Pat. No. 3,639,656, 3,642,699 and 3,661,848 describe processes for the preparation of polyphenylene ethers. Other disclosures relating to processes using metal-amine catalysts are found in Bussink et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,337,499; Blanchard et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,219,626; Laakso et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,342,892; Borman, U.S. Pat. No. 3,344,166; Hori et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,384,619; Faurote et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,400,217; and disclosures relating to metal based catalysts which do not include amines, are well known from patents such as Wieden et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,442,885 (copper-amidines); Nakashio et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,573,257 (metal-alcoholate or phenolate); Kobayashi et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,455,880 (cobalt chelates); and the like. In the Stamatoff patents, the polyphenylene ethers are produced by reacting the corresponding phenolate ion with an initiator, such as peroxy acid salt, an acid peroxide, a hypohalite, and the like, in the presence of a complexing agent. Disclosures relating to non-catalytic processes, such as oxidation with lead dioxide, silver oxide, etc., are described in Price et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,382,212. All of the patents which are mentioned above are incorporated herein by reference.
The Cizek patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,383,435 discloses blends of polyphonylene ether resins and styrene resins. The thermoplastic compositions disclosed by Cizek may include rubber-modified styrene resin, as well as crystal polystyrene. The Carmelite, Kramer and Lee, Jr. patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,787,532, also discloses polyphenylene ether containing compositions. These patents are also incorporated by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,660,531 discloses compositions of a polyphenylene ether styrene resin and a styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer. These compositions have a major proportion of polyphenylene ether polymer.
There have been many attempts to upgrade the heat distortion temperature and the impact resistance of vinyl aromatic resins. One approach has been to provide copolymers of the vinyl aromatic compounds with .alpha.,.beta.-unsaturated cyclic anhydrides. In the case of styrene-maleic anhydride copolymers, a level of 20% of maleic anhydride increases the heat distortion temperature but the resulting material is very brittle.
Accordingly, it is a principal object to provide improved compositions of vinyl aromatic resins that have higher heat distortion temperatures and better impact strengths particularly as measured in terms of the Gardner impact tests.

Thermoplastic molding compositions of vinyl aromatic compound .alpha.,.beta .


The present disclosure describes systems for endoluminal devices utilizing a sleeve for constraining an expandable device toward a constrained configuration suitable for endoluminal delivery to a treatment site along vasculature; and a mechanism for retracting at least a portion of the sleeve.

Field
The present disclosure relates generally to endoluminal devices and, more specifically, to endoluminal devices having a sleeve.
Discussion
Endoluminal devices are frequently used to treat the vasculature of human patients. It is generally known to utilize a flexible sleeve for constraining the device toward a outer peripheral dimension or delivery configuration suitable for endoluminal delivery toward a vascular treatment site. It may be desirable to at least partially retract such a sleeve, for example, a sleeve configured to remain in situ after deployment of the underlying endoluminal device, for example, so as to prevent inadvertent obstruction of a branch vessel by the sleeve. Clinicians may not be able to rely exclusively on conventional imaging technologies to avoid such inadvertent obstruction because, inter alia, (i) such imaging technologies may not detect sleeves themselves, (ii) sleeves may not comprise radioopaque markers, and (iii) radioopaque bands or other markers on endoluminal devices may not necessarily correlate to the ends of sleeves. Thus, there is a need for systems that provide such sleeve retraction characteristics.


A composition of matter and the method of making that provide a low pH acidic composition that is useful for destroying microorganisms that are undesirable and useful for destroying or reducing melanoma on human skin. The composition and method include a strong, low pH acid combined with distilled water and urea or an ammonium compound, such as ammonium sulfate or other metallic sulfates, including but not limited to, sodium sulfate, magnesium sulfate, zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, and copper sulfate, under at least 15 psi pressure in pressurized container, all of which is heated to approximately 800° F. or more for at least 3 hours. The final cooled mixture is stabilized with 10 to 15 percent of the original mixture. The resultant composition is useful for preserving food, such as fresh fish, and for skin treatment of melanoma and as bactericides, fungicides, or viricides.

The use of acids and acidic chemicals for killing deleterious organic organisms, such as bacteria, germs, and viruses is well known in the art. Chlorine or hydrochloric acid is especially useful as a bactericide and is used universally as a cleaning agent.
Bacteria play an important role in the deterioration of human foodstuffs. Foods such as fish are particularly susceptible to rapid deterioration, especially at room temperature, and compounds for the preservations of foods or the retardation of bacteria growth have been employed in the past. One of the problems with such compounds is that in certain increased levels, they can be toxic to human beings, thereby defeating the purpose of preserving the foodstuffs.
Because of the extremely acidic nature of some of the bactericides and viricides that have been utilized in the past, oftentimes they can cause skin irritation or other side effects for human begins coming in contact with these compositions, or can even be fatal if accidentally consumed. Chlorine has had other negative implications in terms of the environment, and has not been environmentally friendly because of the release of chlorine gas into the environment.
The present invention provides for a composition of matter and the method of making it that produces a composition that operates in a very low pH range to provide toxicity to bacteria, viruses, and certain malignant cells that attack human skin dermatologically, while at the time proving to be nontoxic to human beings and not harmful to healthy human cells.
The use of the invention has been found to be helpful as a bactericide for preserving fresh food items, such as fish, for long periods of time without toxically endangering the food product, and has also been found useful as a dermatological composition to reduce or eliminate melanoma of the skin as a skin care product.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,989,595 and 6,242,011 B1 to Cummins, an acidic composition of matter is disclosed that is useful for destroying microorganisms that spoil food, such as fish. The composition of matter, patented by Cummins, is expandable to include additional reactants that provide a very low pH acidic composition that is nontoxic to human beings and not harmful to healthy human cells.
Headlines in 2005 regarding the avian flu in various countries and the threat of a global pandemic encourages consideration of the use of the acidic, non-toxic composition of the present invention to decrease the concentration of ammonia gases in open chicken pens. The ammonia gas, from chicken waste, acts as an irritant to the lungs of the fowl making them vulnerable to infection by the deadly virus that causes avian flu. The present invention can provide a two-fold benefit for chickens or fowl in open pens. First, by converting ammonia to a harmless salt, the free ammonia gas no longer irritates the lungs of penned birds; the birds will have a stronger immune system and will be less susceptible to the flu virus. Second, when ammonia is converted to a harmless salt, the feet pads of the birds or fowl will not have chemical ammonia burns causing the birds to become inactive and develop pneumonia from inactivity.

Acidic composition of matter for use to destroy microorganisms


The present invention provides a charging device which comprises a charging roller (14a) and a cleaning component (14b). The charging roller charges a surface of an image-recording medium (11) with a voltage which is applied from an external source. The cleaning component cleans a surface of the charging roller. The charging roller includes a resistance adjustment layer which is made of a resin composite and formed on an outer periphery of a core metal. The hardness of the charging roller is 45 degrees or more in JIS D hardness. The cleaning component has a portion which is in contact with the charging roller. This portion is made of resin foam which has a continuous foam structure. The density of the resin foam is 5 to 15 kg/m3 and its tensile strength is 1.7±0.5 kg/cm2.

In the image forming apparatus of electrophotographic printing type, the surface of the photoconductor which is the image supporting medium is subjected to the charging processing by applying the charge of a predetermined polarity by the discharging, and the charged photoconductor surface is exposed to light so that an electrostatic latent image is formed. The toner which is charged with the same polarity as in the charging processing is supplied to this electrostatic latent image, and the toner image is formed. After that, the toner image formed on the photoconductor is transferred to the recording paper etc., and it is fixed to the record paper by applying the heat and the pressure.
Since the toner which is not used for the transferring remains on the photoconductor surface after the toner image is transferred, the photoconductor surface is cleaned by the cleaning components, such as the cleaning blade and the cleaning brush, before going into the following charging process.
In recent years, an improved method of charging the photoconductor surface in the above-mentioned image forming apparatus has been put in practical use. In the improved method, the charging roller which is formed in the shape of a roller by the conductive component is made to contact or approach the photoconductor surface, and the charging voltage between the charging roller and the photoconductor is supplied in this state, so that the charging device which charges the surface of the photoconductor can attain a low ozone concentration and low power consumption.
However, the remaining toner which remains on the photoconductor surface after the toner image is transferred is not completely removed in the cleaning process, and such toner may reach the region in the vicinity of or in contact with the charging roller. There is the problem that the remaining toner after the toner image transfer adheres to the charging roller.
Suppose that the toner which is contained in the remaining toner and charged to the same charging polarity is referred to as the regular polarity toner. When stirring the toner with the developer, the so-called reverse charging toner exists. The reverse charging toner is not charged to the regular polarity but charged to the reverse polarity.
The toner charged to the regular polarity repels the charging roller due to the static electricity, and it does not adhere to the charging roller surface. However, the reverse charging toner and the charging roller draw each other due to the static electricity, and it easily adheres to the charging roller surface.
Moreover, besides the reverse charging toner, the foreign matter, such as the paper chip, which is charged to the reverse polarity, will easily adhere to the charging roller due to the static electricity.
With the increasing demand for high-quality, very-fine images in recent years, the toner having spherical particles with smaller particle diameters has been used increasingly in the development process. The purpose of using this toner is to make the toner adhere to the electrostatic latent image precisely.
However, the toner having spherical particles with smaller particle diameters tends to penetrate through the cleaning blade in the cleaning process, and the penetrating toner makes the charging roller surface contamination increase further.
Moreover, in order to perform the charging processing on the surface of the photoconductor uniformly, there has been proposed the method of applying the charging bias in which the AC (alternating current) voltage is superimposed on the DC (direct current) voltage.
If the AC voltage is superimposed, the photoconductor surface will be damaged and its abrasion will increase. In order to prevent the abrasion of the surface of the photoconductor, it is desirable to protect the photoconductor surface.
Then, there has been proposed the method of applying the lubricant, such as the fatty acid metal salt, to the photoconductor surface for protecting the photoconductor surface. Applying the lubricant to the photoconductor surface allows reduction of the coefficient of friction on the surface of the photoconductor, and it works also to raise the rate of the transfer of the toner image, and the efficiency of cleaning of the remaining toner by the cleaning blade, etc.
However, the external additive particles with a certain hardness, such as silica particles, which are separated from the toner are easily caught by the thin layer of the lubricant provided in the photoconductor surface. When the photoconductor surface passes through the contact surface of the cleaning blade, the blade edge will be damaged in such a case so that the breakage and abrasion of the cleaning blade may arise.
If the abrasion of the cleaning blade progresses, the amount of the toner which passes through the cleaning blade will be increased and the charging roller surface contamination will also be increased.
As mentioned above, in order to prevent the adhesion of the toner passing through the cleaning blade to the charging roller and to avoid the difficulty in performing uniform charging of the photoconductor surface, it is necessary to clean the charging roller surface adequately.
As a cleaning component of the charging roller, the sponge material, such as foaming polyurethane and foaming polyethylene, has been proposed (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 05-297690). Moreover, as a cleaning component of the charging roller, the brush roller has been proposed (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2002-221883).
Any of these cleaning components is brought in contact with the charging roller surface for friction so that the adhering matter, such as the toner, is removed from the charging roller surface.
In the case of the sponge material, the adhering matter will be accumulated in the internal pores of the sponge material. In the case of the brush roller, the adhering matter will be accumulated in the internal space between the fibers of the brush roller.
However, the amount of the adhering matter that can be accumulated by such cleaning components is limited, and it is difficult to maintain the cleaning performance of the cleaning components over an extended period of time. For example, it is required for the process cartridge including the charging roller to maintain the cleaning function of the charging roller so as to be suitable to the life of the other components. The use of the cleaning mechanism including the above-mentioned cleaning component is inadequate to meet the requirement.
On the other hand, in many cases of the conventional charging rollers, the elastic body, such as rubber or elastomer, in which the electric conduction agent is dispersed, is coated to the outer periphery of the core metal. Such elastic body easily produces the setting and the deformation with the elapsed time.
For this reason, in the charging device of the non-contact type in which the photoconductor and the charging roller are placed in proximity with no contact, the gap between the photoconductor and the charging roller varies with the elapsed time, and the problem, such as image unevenness, takes place due to the change of the charging potential.
For this reason, there has been proposed the charging roller which is constructed using the inelastic body, such as a thermoplastic resin, instead of the elastic body, such as rubber or elastomer (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2002-132019).
However, also in the image forming apparatus equipped with the charging roller constructed using the above-mentioned inelastic body, the problem of contamination of the charging roller surface by the toner penetrating through the cleaning blade which contacts the photoconductor arises similarly. Thus, it is desirable to provide a cleaning mechanism which is able to clean the charging roller surface adequately continuously over an extended period of time.

Charging device, process cartridge, image forming apparatus, and toner


A device for winding fence material which contains a collapsible, rotatable drum comprising an internal hinge mechanism adapted to open or close such drum, a transverse slot within the drum adapted to secure such fence material, and a rotatable base upon which such drum is mounted.

Snow fences are commonly used in the Northern part of the United States to control the spread of snow. They are usually put up in the Fall of the year in farmers' fields parallel to a road to be protected in order to prevent blowing snow from passing from such field to the road; and they are usually taken down in the Spring of the year.
These snow fences are difficult to put up, and to take down and store. Thus, as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,914,270 of Parker et al., ". . . the labor of several persons is normally required inasmuch as the spool of wire is normally elongated heavy and bulky . . . The operation is tedious slow and extremely inefficient."
In the process of taking down and storing a snow fence, the fence is normally removed from the fence posts and laid flat on the ground; and thereafter it is rolled up in a circular mass.
The device of U.S. Pat. No. 2,914,270 is adapted to unwind a roll of fence when such fence is disposed vertically on a shaft. Even if such device could be modified to wind up a fence, it is not adapted to rotate a shaft which is disposed horizontally and substantially parallel to snow fencing laid flat on the ground. Thus, the device of this patent is not suitable for winding up snow fencing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,819 of Kane describes a manually operated device for unwinding fencing material which is comprised of a crank 26, a shaft, and a chamber to which an end of the snow fence may be attached. The device of the Kane patent may only be operated when disposed vertically, and thus it is not suitable for rolling up fencing laying on the ground. Furthermore, no means is provided for removing a roll of the rolled up fence contained with the Kane device.
None of the prior art of which applicant is aware provides a motorized means for rolling up fence disposed on the ground.
None of the prior art of which applicant is aware provides a means for removing a roll of rolled-up fencing from a fencing winding device.
It is an object of this invention to provide a motorized apparatus for winding up fence material which is laying on the ground.
It is another object of this invention to provide an apparatus for winding up fence material which is comprised of a shaft/drum assembly rotating at a substantially constant rate.
It is another object of this invention to provide an apparatus for winding up fence material which is comprised of a collapsible drum.
It is another object of this invention to provide an apparatus for winding up fence material which allows the ready removal of the rolled up fence material from the drum.


An extended cab truck storage seat is disclosed. The storage seat comprises a box of an essentially rigid material with a front wall and a rear wall and parallel side walls coupled at their side edges to the side edges of the front and rear walls. The box includes a lower wall coupled at its front, rear and side edges to the bottom edges of the front, rear and side walls. The front and rear walls have a recess extending upwardly from their lower edges about an essentially common axis of rotation. The lower wall has an intermediate extent coupled at the front and rear edges thereof to the peripheral edges of the recesses of the front and rear walls. The front, rear, side and bottom walls are fabricated of steel and define an open rectangular top at the top edges of the front, rear and side walls. A lid has peripheral front, rear and side edges adapted to overlie the upper edges of the front, rear and side walls of the box. A hinge pivotally couples the rear edge of the lid to the upper edge of the rear wall to allow the lid to move between a lower closed orientation for sealing the box and a raised open orientation for allowing access to the interior of the box.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a new and improved extended cab truck storage seat and, more particularly, pertains to providing additional storage space in the bed of a pickup truck while allowing the device to function as an additional seat.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of storage devices and seats and combinations thereof in various designs and configurations is known in the prior art. More specifically, storage devices and seats and combinations thereof in various designs and configurations heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of providing storage space and seating capabilities through various methods and apparatuses are known to consist basically of familiar, expected, and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which has been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
The prior art discloses a large number of devices for providing additional storage space in the bed of a pickup truck while allowing the device to function as an additional seat. By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,256,340 to Dunchock discloses a lockable storage compartment and seat for vehicles.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,270,790 to Curotto discloses a convertible seat and storage device for automobiles.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,942,993 to Delgado discloses a vehicle seat storage apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,724 to Green discloses an underseat storage container.
U.S. Patent Number DES. 249,672 to VanderWaal discloses a behind seat storage compartment for trucks and the like.
Lastly, U.S. Patent Number DES. 338,780 to Rance discloses a storage box for use behind the seat of a vehicle.
In this respect, the extended cab truck storage seat according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing additional storage space in the bed of a pickup truck while allowing the device to function as an additional seat.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved extended cab truck storage seat which can be used for providing additional storage space in the bed of a pickup truck while allowing the device to function as an additional seat. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.


Nucleotides of nucleosides or bases having known cytotoxic activity are reacted to form corresponding cytotoxic liponucleotide analogs by phosphorylation of molecular species of phosphatidic acids. The resulting cytotoxic liponucleotide analogs exhibit an enhanced therapeutic index and broader spectrum of antitumor activity as compared to the parent nucleoside or base compounds, apparently due to an improved selective uptake thereof by metabolizing tumor cells, and are thus useful cytotoxic, antiviral and antineoplastic agents.

This invention was funded in part by Grant Nos. CA 15898 and CA 13943 from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health.
This invention relates to a new class of cytotoxic liponucleotide analogs (sometimes abbreviated herein as CLNA) drugs having useful cytotoxic activity, to methods of preparing and using such drugs and to pharmaceutical compositions containing cytotoxically effective amounts of such drugs as a primary active ingredient.
Cancer can be considered as a group of diseases that can occur in any tissue, organ or system of the body. The causes of all cancers are not known, nor are there any reported major qualitative metabolic differences between cancer cells and host tissue cells of origin. Accordingly, cancer chemotherapy, unlike the chemotherapy of infectious diseases wherein the disease-causing organism itself offers a distinct metabolic or structural biologic target, has far more restrictive fundamental concepts on which to pattern therapeutic treatment.
Most known classes of anticancer drugs exert their action principally because of quantitative differences in metabolic rates of production or levels of certain nucleic acids, enzymes, proteins, hormones, metabolic intermediates, etc., rather than because of qualitative biologic differences between cancer cells and normal cells. Thus, anticancer drugs do not exhibit selective toxicity in the classical sense.
A number of anticancer nucleosides or bases have been described in the prior art. For example, cytosine arabinoside, 5-fluorouracil, 5-fluorodeoxyuracil, 6-mercaptopurine and thioguanine have become drugs currently used for the clinical treatment of cancer in human patients. In addition, preliminary clinical trials appear encouraging with respect to a dozen or more other drugs as have been reported by H. B. Wood, Jr. in "Drugs with Chemical Activity" and in "Some Unique Compounds in Development" published by the Drug Synthesis and Chemistry Branch, National Cancer Institute, January 1977, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein. Literally scores of pyrimidines, purines, structurally related heterocyclic bases, nucleosides, etc., have been synthesized and demonstrated to possess high cytotoxic activity in cell culture and in a number of tumor-bearing animals; however, unfavorable therapeutic indexes have restricted the clinical use of this class of antimetabolites to relatively few antineoplastic drugs presently used for the chemotherapy of cancer.


Certain aspects relate to designs for an interior permanent magnet (IPM) electrical machine stator having a plurality of continuous windings wound through the stator. Compared to existing designs, the disclosed stator design has an increased number of parallel conductors, an increased number of conductors per slot, increased tooth and slot width and number, and more compacted conductors, resulting in reduction in core losses, reduction in conductor losses, reduced harmonics in flux density, and improved winding reliability.

In recent years, high efficiency electric motors have become desirable to meet the challenges of providing power without the usage of fossil fuel sources, for example in hybrid and electric vehicles. Interior permanent magnet (IPM) motors have become popular due to their high efficiency performance, as an IPM electric machine is an increasingly efficient synchronous motor due to advances in high-energy permanent magnet technology, smart inverters, and digital controllers. IPM electric machines have magnets built into the interior of the rotor. The rotor is rotatable within a stator which includes multiple windings to produce a rotating magnetic field in the frame of reference of the stator.

IPM machine with specialized winding for automotive electric vehicles


The present disclosure is a method of controlling an operation of a swirl control valve for a diesel engine, which predicts an internal temperature of a swirl control valve for a diesel engine, and limit a motor duty ratio of the swirl control valve based on the predicted temperature. In particular, the method predicts an internal temperature (a temperature of a motor coil) of a swirl control valve in real time through modelling, and controls a motor duty ratio of the swirl control valve, so that the internal temperature does not reach a maximum coil temperature, at which the swirl control valve is damaged and/or is irresistible, based on the predicted temperature.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
In general, a diesel engine performs a swirl control on intake air by mounting a swirl control valve (SCV) in a passage of intake air flowing into a combustion chamber in order to more completely combust the intake air.
According to the swirl control, swirl is generated when intake air passes the SCV, and intake air, in which the swirl is generated, is supplied to the combustion chamber and well mixed with diesel fuel, so that it is possible to improve combustion efficiency, reduce exhaust gas, reduce particulate matters (PM), and the like.
A variable control method through a motor is mainly used as the method of controlling an operation of the SCV. An opening degree of the SCV may be freely controlled according to an engine operation region through a link unit connected with the motor.
For example, it is necessary to precisely control opening/closing of the SCV, such as closing the SCV in order to reduce exhaust gas in a middle/low load operation region of the engine, and opening the SCV so as to supply the large amount of intake air to the combustion chamber and improve output performance of the engine in a high load region.
However, the SCV of the diesel engine is not a component which is capable of always using a desired maximum current, because a coil temperature of the motor increases according to a use current and a use time of the motor of the SCV, and a surrounding temperature, and a coil resistant temperature is 180° C.
According to a characteristic of the SCV, a maximum motor duty (100%) may be used for three seconds, but it is recommended to use a limited, actual use, motor duty in consideration of preventing an excessive increase in a coil temperature.
TABLE 1SCV motor(limit 180° C.)itemcurrent(A)−40° C.RT130° C.10.5stable atabout 151° C.21.04.6 minutesto 180° C.31.561 secondsto 180° C.42.021 secondsto 180° C.52.511.5 secondsto 180° C.63.075 seconds41 seconds6 secondsto 180° C.to 180° C.to 180° C.
Table 1 is an experimental result representing our discoveries, and shows a time taken for increasing a coil temperature to 180° C. when a motor for operating the SCV is driven with a predetermined current, and it can be seen that when a current is continuously applied with 1.0 A, a use time limit of the SCV needs to be 4.6 minutes, and as a driving current is increased, a use permitted time is decreased.
TABLE 2SCV motor(limit 180° C.)itemcurrent(A)chamber temperature 130° C.10.5stable at 151.1° C.20.6stable at 161° C.30.7stable at 173.6° C.40.8>180° C.
Table 2 is an experimental result representing our discoveries, and was obtained by measuring a driving current limit value according to a temperature for preventing the SCV from being damaged, and it can be seen that when the motor is driven with 0.7 A, the motor is stable at 173.6° C., and when a driving current is increased to 0.8 A, the chamber temperature exceeds 180° C., which is a coil temperature, at which the SCV is resistible, and it can be seen through the experiment that in order to prevent the SCV from being damaged, a driving current of the motor of the SCV limited by an electronic control unit (ECU) controlling an operation of the SCV is 0.7 A.
The ECU commands a motor duty to the motor for operating the SCV through a pulse width modulation (PWM) communication, and our discoveries from an experimental result for a motor duty limit value of the ECU for limiting the driving current to 0.7 A is represented in Table 3 below.
TABLE 3SCV motor (limit 180° C.)Motor duty5%10%15%20%25%30%35%40%1Room temperature0.1790.3100.4620.6410.7840.9511.1231.261130° C.0.1700.3200.4410.5510.6670.8050.9281.0342Room temperature0.1960.3270.4910.6690.8170.9771.1461.303High temperature0.1770.2980.4640.5390.7680.8000.9341.0693Room temperature0.2010.3270.4870.6490.8080.9691.1201.274High temperature0.1640.2770.4440.5310.6470.780.0.9071.0334Room temperature0.1500.2870.4460.6220.8170.9341.0991.262High temperature0.1460.2900.3870.5220.6320.7670.9501.1735Room temperature0.1170.2500.4670.5900.7291.0281.2311.397High temperature0.1440.2600.3800.5220.6490.7760.8971.020
We have discovered that, and as can be seen in Table 3, when the ECU applies the motor duty of 25%, a current output value for the motor is different according to a surrounding temperature (for example, a motor coil temperature) of the SCV.
For example, when the ECU applies the motor duty of 25%, a current output value is 0.784 A at a room temperature, but the current output value is decreased to 0.667 A at a high and bad temperature condition of 130° C.
That is, it can be seen that when a temperature is increased, an output current with respect to the same duty is decreased, and a duty limit value of the ECU needs to be further decreased at a high temperature.
Accordingly, the ECU needs to consider a bad condition in setting a motor duty limit value of the SCV, so that finally, in order to limit the output current to 0.7 A, the duty needs to be limited to 25%.
However, when a motor-providing company limits the motor duty to 25% in order to protect the motor of the SCV, there is a problem in that engine developers cannot calibrate a motor duty by a desired level.
Realistically, when a motor duty limit value of 25% is applied to an actual vehicle, there is a problem in that an operation response of the SCV is late due to a lack of proportional integral and derivative (PID) gain according to a lack of duty, and a side effect, such as an error generation of a large deviation between a target duty and an actual duty, is generated.

Method of controlling operation of swirl control valve for diesel engine


A particulate filter cartridge has a woven metal fiber filter medium surrounding a perforated support tube. The filter medium is crimped down to the support tube at opposite ends thereof and then welded to the support tube at the crimped regions. A plurality of such cartridges can then be nested within each other and separated by appropriate exhaust gas flow directing baffles to form a particulate filter assembly.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Use of woven metal fiber filter media in particulate filters, such as Diesel particulate filters for automotive exhaust systems, has been hampered by difficulties in handling such fragile filter media while assembling the filter, often leading to poor mechanical durability of the device.

Particulate filter and method for its assembly

Tenneco Automotive Operating Company Inc.


A subscriber unit (26) communicates with a satellite (12) using electromagnetic signals so that observations (102) of the signals are obtained. Surface contours are generated (104) based on the signal component measured. The surface contour intersections produce candidate locations on the earth's surface. The candidate locations seed a least-squares estimation to produce final locations. Data produced during the least-squares fit is used to generate confidence ellipses (116) about the final locations. Most likely actual locations are determined from the fit associated with the confidence regions. A variety of signal source measurements can be used while providing a best estimate of a signal source location when an exact solution is not mathematically possible. The location is converted to coordinates that can be used in a satellite communication system (10) for making decisions regarding the granting or denying of communication services, billing rate and the like.

In a global radio telecommunications system, the system and those who operate the system generally have no control over where the subscriber units are located. The communication system though, is responsible for granting or denying particular communication services depending upon whether or not the system has received permission to operate at a location where a particular subscriber unit may happen to be located. Moreover, the system may be responsible for billing in connection with the use of communication services, and the rates charged for such services and parties to receive revenues from the services may vary from location to location.
A radio telecommunications system may grant and deny particular communication services and assign particular billing rates to calls if it knows the locations of the subscriber units. Accordingly, it would be desirable to configure the system so that the locations of subscriber units are determined and so that information describing locations is transmitted to controllers which are responsible for making decisions regarding the granting or denying of communication services, billing rates, and the like. Preferably, locations are determined as quickly as possible so that service interruptions are minimized.
Many prior art location determination systems are known, such as Global Positioning System (GPS), GLONASS, Loran, and the like. While subscriber units could be configured to incorporate components which take advantage of existing location determination systems, these components would substantially increase costs of the subscriber units. Moreover, relying on existing location determination systems could reduce reliability of the radio telecommunications system by introducing reliance upon an external system.
The techniques used by such prior art systems to determine location could potentially be incorporated into the radio telecommunications system, but the introduction of such techniques could seriously degrade communication services. For example, most prior art location systems require the use of two or more transmitters or receivers ("locators") that are located at distant positions and that are capable of transmitting or receiving signals to or from a location to be determined.
The requirement for two or more locators to be within view over the entire globe makes this approach impractical. While this requirement might be met by placing satellites in high or geosynchronous orbits around the earth, higher orbits place satellites further away from subscriber equipment on the earth. This larger distance causes the subscriber equipment to consume excessive power or incorporate massive antennas just to participate in communication services. Moreover, higher orbits require increased spectrum allocation to carry a given amount of communications because the allocated spectrum can be reused less frequently in a given area.
Prior art systems also perform signal source location within a number of pre-defined scenarios. GPS, for example, uses a number of signal time of arrival (TOA) along with current time to determine location. Although this system works well within the predefined scope, the measured quantities must be appropriate for that system. In addition, when all measurements are not available, no solution is possible. Furthermore, additional signal data from other measurements or observations can not be used to enhance the solution. The location of a signal source, such as a subscriber unit is further complicated by real-world environmental problems such noise and atmospheric effects which have an effect on the accuracy of signal measurements, and the resultant location.
Thus what is needed are an improved radio telecommunications system and method. What is also needed are a method and apparatus that determines the location of subscriber units relatively quickly. What is also needed are a method and apparatus that determines the location of a subscriber unit with one or more signal observation. What is also needed are a method and apparatus that uses a variety of received signal data to determine the location of a signal source. What is also needed are a method and apparatus that is flexible enough to adapt to various input to determine the location of a signal source. What is also needed are a method and apparatus that uses either simultaneous signal measurements or signal measurements spaced out in time. What is also needed are a method and apparatus that uses additional observations or measurements of various types to enhance a location solution. What is also needed are a method and apparatus that provides a confidence level for solution locations when exact solutions are not possible.

Flexible signal source location apparatus and method therefor


A phosphor layer forming apparatus (1) in which a paste (21) containing a phosphor is discharged so as to cover each of a plurality of light-emitting elements (11) mounted on a substrate (10) includes the following: a discharge portion (12) for discharging the paste (21) in the form of droplets onto each of the light-emitting elements (11); a measurement portion (13) for measuring the thickness of individual phosphor layers that are formed of the paste (21) covering each of the light-emitting elements (11); and a discharge control portion (14) for controlling the amount of the paste (21) to be redischarged for each phosphor layer in accordance with the thickness of the individual phosphor layers measured by the measurement portion (13). This phosphor layer forming apparatus can reduce the manufacturing time.

A light-emitting diode (referred to as "LED" in the following) is known as a light-emitting element including a semiconductor multilayer film. In particular, when a LED for emitting blue light such as a GaN LED is combined with a phosphor that emits yellow light or red light by excitation of the blue light, it can be applied to a light-emitting device for emitting white light (e.g., JP 2001-15817 A).
FIGS. 4A to 4D and 5A to 5C are cross-sectional views showing conventional manufacturing processes for the light-emitting device. As shown in FIG. 4A, a plurality of LED chips 102 are mounted on a substrate 101, and the top surfaces of the LED chips 102 are ground with a rotary grinder 103 to make the LED chips 102 even. Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, a paste containing a phosphor is applied to each of the LED chips 102, e.g., by screen printing, and phosphor layers 104 are formed. As shown in FIG. 4C, the top surfaces of the phosphor layers 104 are ground with the rotary grinder 103. Thus, as shown in FIG. 4D, the phosphor layers 104 are made even. Subsequently, the LED chips 102 covered with the phosphor layers 104 are separated from one another. Then, as shown in FIG. 5A, each LED chip 102 is mounted on a mounting board 106. As shown in FIG. 5B, the phosphor layer 104 is sealed with a sealing resin 107. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5C, a lens 108 is formed on the sealing resin 107, thereby providing a light-emitting device 100.
In the above manufacturing method, however, the grinding processes of FIGS. 4A and 4C take a long time, and thus it is difficult to reduce the manufacturing time For example, in the process of grinding the phosphor layers 104 in FIG. 4C, the height of each of the phosphor layers 104 should be controlled to the order of several μm to suppress variations in the chromaticity of light emitted from the light-emitting device 100 (see FIG. 5C). Therefore, the grinding process of FIG. 4C generally requires about an hour. This may result in lower productivity of the light-emitting device 100.

Apparatus for forming phosphor layer and method for forming phosphor layer using the apparatus


A card organizer for attaching cards such as business cards or computer disks to an office file folder has a flat single page holder with a plurality of pockets aligned vertically. Each pocket is constructed with a front and a back sheet, the front sheet having a plurality of horizontal rectangular slots to allow insertion of objects of extended width. The back sheet has a like number of arched tabs corresponding to the front sheet slots partially cut on the back sheet smaller in width than the corresponding slot on the front sheet, leaving the tab bottom attached to the rear sheet to form a bend line. The top of the tab is attached to the front sheet under a slot thereby forming a pocket with a pinching action between the tab and the back sheet. Tape on the back sheet is used to attach the holder to a file folder.

The present invention relates to business card organizers and more particularly to card holders that removably attach cards and the like to file folders.
It is known in the art to have business card organizers of various kinds. It is also known to have photograph folios that hold a number of photographs, credit cards or business cards. Commonly, the cards are arranged in the folios or other holders in side-by-side pockets or in overlapping pockets. It is also common to have single jackets for computer disks.
None of the previous business card holders are suitable for attachment to a file folder for a user that wants the file to be as thin as possible, able to hold a plurality of cards in a nonoverlapping arrangement, and grasp the cards in the holder pocket to resist the cards from falling out of the pockets. Overlapping cards or computer disks thicken the file unnecessarily. It is also difficult to quickly remove a card from folios having a number of pockets where the card or picture is fully contained within the pocket, such as in a photograph album folio. Therefore, it is the object of this invention to have a holder that arranges business cards and the like, such as computer disks, in nonoverlapping format with part of the business card exposed for ease in grasping and removing the card. It is a further object of the invention to have a card organizer with pockets that are designed to secure the card in the pockets while still providing easy access and card removal.


A cleaning device for cleaning a substrate adhering to a support film, including a protective film forming measure for forming a protective film on an exposed surface of the support film, wherein the exposed surface is a portion of a surface of the support film to which a first surface of the substrate adheres, but the substrate does not adheres to the exposed surface; and a cleaning measure for cleaning the substrate by use of a cleaning liquid, the substrate adhering to the support film covered with the protective film. The cleaning device can effectively clean a wafer supported by a dicing tape.

Devices such as mobile phone, digital AV apparatuses, integrated circuit cards, etc. have been improved to have higher performance, semiconductor silicon chips (hereinafter, refer to as chips) to be mounted in the devices consequently need to be smaller and thinner in order to greatly increase the number of chips mounted in packages of the devices. To greatly increase the number of chips mounted in the package, the chips needs to be thinned not more than 150 μm.
However, when semiconductor wafers (hereinafter, refer to as wafers) to be substrates of the chips are polished to a thin thickness, strength of the wafers are reduced. The thin wafers with weak strength are easy to be cracked or curved. Further, the thin wafers with weak strength are difficult to be transported by automatic transportation. This requires manual transportation, and thereby tedious handling.
To deal with this problem, a wafer support system has been developed to reinforce the strength of the wafers by adhering supporting plates (made from glass, rigid plastic, or the like) to the wafers before polishing. The wafer support system prevents cracking and curving of the wafers. The wafer support system, which reinforces the strength of the wafers, allows automatic transportation of the thin wafers.
The wafer and the supporting plate are adhered to each other via an adhesive tape, a thermoplastic resin, an adhesive, or the like. The supporting plate is stripped from the wafer before dicing. For example, in case where the wafer and the supporting plate are adhered to each other via an adhesive tape, the wafer can be torn off the supporting plate supporting plate. Meanwhile, in the case where the wafer and the supporting plate are adhered to each other via a thermoplastic resin, the thermoplastic resin is heated and dissolved so as to strip the wafer from the supporting plate. Further, in the case where the wafer and the supporting plate are adhered to each other via an adhesive, the adhesive is dissolved by use of a solution so as to strip from the wafer supporting plate adhering.
Further, an opposite surface of a surface adhering to the supporting plate of the wafer is sometimes adhered to a support such as a dicing tape in accordance with the film thickness of the wafer before the supporting plate is stripped from the wafer. Therefore, the wafer is supported by the dicing tape. Hence, the occurrence of a crack and the like can be reduced even if the film thickness of the wafer is thin and the strength thereof is low.
Further, as other examples of techniques for processing a wafer, Patent Literatures 1 and 2 disclose a laser processing for cutting a wafer into respective chips by irradiating a laser beam to the wafer in order to form the chips from the wafer. A protective film is formed on a surface of the wafer before the wafer is cut in order to prevent the wafer from receiving an influence of debris occurring when the wafer is cut by the laser during the laser processing.

Cleaning device, cleaning method, and composition