A balloon catheter is capable of forming a transmural necrotic layer around the pulmonary vein ostium without excessively cauterizing the endocardium and of cauterizing portions of the four pulmonary veins around the ostium of the same one by one. The balloon catheter comprises: a catheter shaft consisting of a tubular outer shaft (2) and a tubular inner shaft (2), an inflatable balloon (4) capable of coming into contact with a predetermined annular portion of the entrance (20) of a pulmonary vein when inflated, a radio-frequency electrode (8) paired with a counter electrode (44) placed on the surface of a patient""s body to transmit radio-frequency power, and placed in a wall forming the balloon (4) or in the balloon (94), a lead wire (12) electrically connected to the radio-frequency electrode (8), a cooling means (38) for pouring cooling liquid (36) to cool respective interior of the catheter shaft and the balloon (4), and a temperature sensor (14) for measuring temperature in the balloon (4).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a balloon catheter for pulmonary vein isolation and, more particularly, to a balloon catheter for atrium ablation for the treatment of a local lesion through local radio-frequency heating under pressure to treat atrial fibrillation.
2. Description of the Related Art
A known radio-frequency ablation method of electrically isolating a pulmonary vein repeats cauterization ten and some odd times to cauterize spots around the pulmonary vein successively with a catheter provided with metallic electrodes having 4 mm chips for the electric cauterization of the spots around the pulmonary vein. Most operations by this radio-frequency ablation method result in failure because the radio-frequency ablation method requires skilled catheter operation and is technically very difficult to achieve.
A radio-frequency ablation method of electrically isolating a pulmonary vein by radio-frequency heating using an inflatable balloon catheter is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2574119 issued to the applicant of the present invention.
The metallic electrodes having rough surfaces of the known catheter are exposed to blood. When the temperature of the electrodes is increased beyond a critical point by radio-frequency heating, thrombi are formed on the surfaces of the metallic electrodes. Therefore, a complication of thromboembolism arises when cauterization is repeated many times. The cauterization of many points one at a time takes a long time, which entails the hazard of exposure to radiation by x-ray fluoroscopy.
The radio-frequency ablation method disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2574119 uses a large balloon capable of entirely occupying a right atrium to cover the ostium of all the four pulmonary veins. Therefore, the heart must be stopped temporarily and extracorporeal circulation must be effected by an artificial heart-lung apparatus.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to solve those problems in the prior art and to provide a balloon catheter capable of forming a transmural necrotic layer around the pulmonary vein ostium without excessively cauterizing the endocardium and without forming thrombi, of cauterizing portions of the four pulmonary veins around the ostium of the same one by one and of achieving pulmonary vein isolation without requiring extracorporeal circulation.
Most causes of atrial premature beat that triggers atrial fibrillation, i.e., a kind of arhythmia, reside in the pulmonary vein. It has been recently found that atrial fibrillation can be prevented by electrically isolating those causes. The applicant of the present invention has developed various balloon catheters for radio-frequency heating, such as those disclosed in Japanese Patent Nos. 2538375, 2510428 and 2574119. Those patented balloon catheters are capable of easily cauterizing the inner surface of the pulmonary vein. Experimental data obtained by the applicant of the present invention showed that there is the possibility that those balloon catheters cause the restenosis of the pulmonary vein, entailing pulmonary hypertension. Therefore, the inventors of the present invention thought of a balloon catheter for pulmonary vein isolation without restenosis of pulmonary vein by circumferential ablation of the junction between the pulmonary vein and a left atrium, and the left atrium around the pulmonary vein.
To achieve the foregoing object, according to one aspect of the present invention, a balloon catheter for pulmonary vein isolation comprises: a catheter shaft consisting of a tubular outer shaft and a tubular inner shaft; an inflatable balloon, which has a larger diameter than that of the pulmonary vein ostium capable of contact with a predetermined annular portion of pulmonary vein ostium when inflated and having one end portion connected to the extremity of the tubular outer shaft and the other end portion connected to the extremity of the tubular inner shaft; a radio-frequency electrode paired with a electric plate placed on the surface of the patient""s body to transmit radio-frequency power and placed in a wall forming the balloon or in the balloon; a lead wire connected to the radio-frequency electrode; a cooling means for pouring cooling liquid to cool the respective interior of the catheter shaft and the balloon; and a temperature sensor for measuring temperature in the balloon.
Preferably, the balloon as inflated has a shape resembling an onion having a larger diameter than that of pulmonary vein ostium on the side of the tubular outer shaft of the catheter shaft.
Preferably, the balloon as inflated has a shape resembling a mushroom having a larger diameter than that of pulmonary vein ostium on the side of the tubular outer shaft of the catheter shaft.
Preferably, the radio-frequency electrode is wound round the tubular inner shaft of the catheter shaft.
Preferably, the radio-frequency electrode is formed in a circular shape on the inner surface of the wall of the balloon so as to be located close to the predetermined portion when the balloon is inflated.
Preferably, the predetermined portion is the junction between the pulmonary vein and the left atrial wall.
Preferably, the predetermined portion is a portion of the left atrial wall around a pulmonary vein.
Preferably, the cooling means circulates cooling liquid.
Preferably, a U-shaped cooling liquid passage through which the cooling liquid can be circulated is formed in the tubular inner shaft of the catheter shaft.
Preferably, radio-frequency power is supplied to the radio-frequency electrode to heat the balloon at a predetermined temperature and the temperature of the balloon is monitored by means of the temperature sensor.
Preferably, radio-frequency power is supplied to the radio-frequency electrode so that impedance between the radio-frequency electrode and the electric plate is in a predetermined impedance range and the impedance between the radio-frequency electrode and the electric plate is monitored.
Preferably, the tubular outer shaft, the tubular inner shaft and the balloon are formed of an antithrombotic resin and have smooth surfaces, respectively.
Since the balloon is capable of coming into contact with the predetermined annular portion of a pulmonary vein ostium when inflated, the annular portion of the of each pulmonary vein ostium can be individually cauterized without requiring extracorporeal circulation. Since the respective interiors of the catheter shaft and the balloon can be cooled, the excessive heating of the catheter shaft by the lead wire and the radio-frequency electrode and the resultant deformation of the catheter shaft can be prevented. Since the temperature of the interior of the balloon is measured by the temperature sensor, a transmural necrotic layer can be formed without excessively cauterizing the endocardium.

Balloon catheter for pulmonary vein isolation


The invention relates to binding agents for radiation-cured aqueous paints, said agents containing reaction products ABCDE composed of A epoxy compounds with at least two epoxy groups per molecule, B unsaturated fatty acids, C olefinically unsaturated monomers, D compounds containing unsaturated aliphatic hydroxyl groups and E multi-functional isocyanates, whereby the compounds C are always directly bonded to the compounds B, the compounds D are always directly bonded to the compounds E and the compounds A are always directly bonded to the compounds B. The invention also relates to methods for producing said binding agents and to the use thereof.

Water-based paints curable by irradiation with UV light are known from EP-B 0 694 531 and AT-B 404 733. They contain water-dilutable urethane resins as binders.
However, these paints have disadvantages in practical use. In particular, they do not meet the corrosion protection requirements for the painting of metals.
The object is therefore to provide water-dilutable binders for the painting of metals, especially base metals, which give good corrosion protection, where curing may be effected by irradiation with high-energy light.
It has been found that radiation-curable water-dilutable paints based on binders derived from epoxy resins provide coatings with good corrosion protection.
The present invention therefore relates to binders for radiation-curable water-based paints, comprising reaction products ABCDE of epoxy compounds A having at least two epoxide groups per molecule, unsaturated fatty acids B, olefinically unsaturated monomers C, unsaturated aliphatic compounds containing hydroxyl groups, D, and polyfunctional isocyanates E. The compounds C are always directly bonded to the compounds B; likewise, the compounds D are always directly bonded to the compounds E, and the compounds A are always directly bonded to the compounds B.
The invention also provides a process for the preparation of the binders according to the invention.
Finally, the invention further relates to mixtures of the binders according to the invention with aqueous dispersions of acrylate copolymers.
The epoxy compounds A have at least two epoxide groups per molecule and can be aliphatic, aromatic or mixed aromatic-aliphatic. Suitable aliphatic diepoxides or polyepoxides are especially alpha, omega-diepoxyalkanes, such as 1,5-diepoxyhexane or 1,7-diepoxyoctane, ethers of glycidyl alcohol with dihydric or more than dihydric alcohols having from 2 to 20 carbon atoms, such as butanediol diglycidyl ether or hexanediol diglycidyl ether and trimethylolpropane triglycidyl ether, ethers of glycidyl alcohol with polyethylene or polypropylene glycol, or esters of glycidyl alcohol with dibasic or more than dibasic aliphatic carboxylic acids, such as diglycidyl adipate, diglycidyl hexahydrophthalate or diglycidyl esters of dimeric fatty acids. Suitable aromatic diepoxides or polyepoxides are diepoxydivinylbenzene and diepoxydivinylnaphthalene. Suitable mixed aromatic-aliphatic diepoxides or polyepoxides are the diglycidyl ethers of bisphenol A, bisphenol F, dihydroxybiphenyl or dihydroxydiphenyl sulfone. Other suitable compounds are addition products of the said diepoxides or polyepoxides with difunctional or more than difunctional hydroxyl compounds, for example the bisphenol A-based epoxy resins obtained by an advancement reaction.
The unsaturated fatty acids B are linear or branched aliphatic monocarboxylic acids and have at least one olefinic double bond and from 6 to 30 carbon atoms. Suitable compounds are, inter alia, palmitoleic acid, oleic acid, elaidic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, elaeostearic acid, arachidonic acid, erucic acid and clupanodonic acid, as well as mixtures thereof, especially the technical-grade mixtures obtained by the saponification of oils.
Particularly preferred compounds are fatty acids and mixtures thereof which have at least two olefinic double bonds, which in turn are preferably non-conjugated. Linseed oil fatty acid, tall oil fatty acid and sunflower oil fatty acid are particularly suitable.
The olefinically unsaturated monomers C contain a mass fraction of at least 10% of an olefinically unsaturated acid, preferably an olefinically unsaturated carboxylic acid or dicarboxylic acid. It is also possible to use half-esters of olefinically unsaturated dicarboxylic acids with one mol of an alcohol per one mol of a dicarboxylic acid. Preferred olefinically unsaturated acids are acrylic and methacrylic acid, vinylacetic acid and crotonic and isocrotonic acid. Examples of half-esters which can preferably be used are the monomethyl esters of maleic acid, fumaric acid, itaconic acid, citraconic acid or mesaconic acid. Esters of the said acids with monohydric or polyhydric alcohols, such as methyl (meth)acrylate, ethyl (meth)acrylate, n-propyl or isopropyl (meth)acrylate, n-butyl or tert-butyl (meth)acrylate or 2-ethylhexyl (meth)acrylate, as well as diesters of the said dicarboxylic acids, such as dimethyl maleate, and hydroxy-functional compounds (also used as compounds D), such as hydroxyethyl (meth)acrylate, hydroxypropyl (meth)acrylate, hydroxybutyl (meth)acrylate and trimethylolpropane mono(meth)acrylate or di(meth)acrylate, can be used in a mixture with the said acidic monomers. Other suitable monomers are styrene, vinyltoluene, alpha-methylstyrene, para-methylstyrene, vinyl acetate and (meth)acrylonitrile.
The unsaturated aliphatic compounds containing hydroxyl groups, D, are esters of dihydric or more than dihydric alcohols with monomers containing olefinically unsaturated acid groups, especially with acrylic and methacrylic acid. Hydroxyethyl and hydroxypropyl (meth)acrylate are particularly suitable.
The polyfunctional isocyanates E are aromatic, aliphatic and mixed aromatic-aliphatic isocyanates having at least two isocyanate groups. Preference is given to aliphatic isocyanates and those aromatic isocyanates, including diisocyanates, in which the isocyanate groups are bonded to an aliphatic carbon atom, such as xylylene diisocyanate and tetramethylxylylene diisocyanate. Preferred aliphatic isocyanates are linear, branched and cyclic isocyanates having from 4 to 12 carbon atoms, such as hexamethylene diisocyanate, trimethylhexane diisocyanate, isophorone diisocyanate and 1,3- and 1,4-bis(isocyanato)cyclohexane.
The invention further relates to a process for the preparation of the binders ABCDE, wherein, in the first step, the epoxy compounds A are reacted with the unsaturated fatty acids B to give adducts, the amounts of the educts being chosen so that there is at least 0.5 mol of acid groups in the fatty acids B per one mol of epoxide groups in A. A ratio of at least 0.7 mol/mol, especially from 0.9 mol/mol to 1.0 mol/mol, is preferred. In the second step, the adducts AB formed in this way are reacted with the olefinically unsaturated monomers C in the presence of free radical initiators, the compounds C polymerising and at least partially forming grafts on the adducts AB, and the grafting preferably taking place at the double bonds of the fatty acids. The graft copolymers ABC formed in the second step are then reacted with the semicapped isocyanates DE, prepared in a separate step by reacting the hydroxy-functional, olefinically unsaturated monomers D with the polyfunctional, preferably difunctional, isocyanates E, to give the products ABCDE by urethane formation. The reaction is preferably carried out in such a way that the ratio of the amount of substance isocyanate groups in DE to the amount of substance hydroxyl groups in B is 0.2 to 0.9, the ratio preferably being chosen so that the reaction product ABCDE has an acid number of 5 mg/g to 80 mg/g, especially of 10 mg/g to 50 mg/g.
The acid number is defined according to DIN EN ISO 3682 as the ratio of the mass of potassium hydroxide, mKOH, required to neutralise a test sample, to the mass of this sample, mB (mass of the solid in the sample in the case of solutions or dispersions); its conventional unit is "mg/g".
The binders according to the invention are particularly suitable for the formulation of radiation-curable coating agents (curable by UV radiation or electron beams). Photoinitiators are added; on irradiation with high-energy light, these form radicals which initiate curing by polymerisation. A particular feature of the binders according to the invention is their good compatibility with aqueous acrylate dispersions. Such dispersions can be admixed in a mass ratio of up to 50:50 (based in each case on the mass of solids in the dispersions) without adversely affecting the curing rate or the properties of the resulting coating film. The known acrylate dispersions containing hydroxyl groups, as well as self-crosslinking acrylate dispersions, are suitable here.
Preferred acrylate dispersions are self-crosslinking acrylate dispersions based on copolymers of (meth)acrylic acid esters of linear or branched aliphatic monoalcohols having 3 to 10 carbon atoms, (meth)acrylic acid esters of methanol and ethanol, (meth)acrylic acid esters of dihydric aliphatic alcohols having 2 to 6 carbon atoms, especially glycol, 1,2- and 1,3-propanediol, 1,2- and 1,4-butanediol and 1,6-hexanediol, styrene and vinyltoluene, as well as olefinically unsaturated monomers containing carbonyl groups, such as diacetone acrylamide, and hydroxy-functional acrylate dispersions based on copolymers of (meth)acrylic acid esters of linear or branched aliphatic monoalcohols having from 3 to 10 carbon atoms, (meth)acrylic acid esters of methanol and ethanol, (meth)acrylic acid esters of dihydric aliphatic alcohols having from 2 to 6 carbon atoms, especially glycol, 1,2- and 1,3-propanediol, 1,2- and 1,4-butanediol and 1,6-hexanediol, styrene and vinyltoluene. In the case of the self-crosslinking acrylate dispersions, diamines or, preferably, dihydrazines or dihydrazides of aliphatic dicarboxylic acids having from 2 to 8 carbon atoms are used; adipic acid dihydrazide is particularly preferred.
The binders formulated in this way can be used to produce coatings even on base metals, imparting good corrosion protection to the substrate.
The invention is illustrated by the Examples below.

Binding agents for radiation-cured aqueous paints


The substrate treating apparatus includes a drying chamber in which an organic solvent remaining on a substrate is dissolved by using a fluid, and a recycling unit including a separator for separating the organic solvent from the fluid discharged from the drying chamber to recycle the fluid. The separator includes a distiller in which a fluid containing an organic solvent having a first concentration is introduced, a heating unit heating a fluid containing an organic solvent having a second concentration discharged from the distiller, and supplying an evaporated fluid containing an organic solvent having a third concentration into the distiller, and a condensation unit liquefying a fluid containing an organic solvent having a fourth concentration discharged from the distiller. The organic solvent has the second concentration, the first concentration, the third concentration, and the fourth concentration which are successively lowered in concentration.

The present invention disclosed herein relates to a substrate manufacturing apparatus, and more particularly, to a unit for recycling a supercritical fluid that is used in a supercritical drying process and a substrate treating apparatus including the same.
Semiconductor devices are manufactured through various processes such as a photolithography process for forming a circuit pattern on a substrate such as a silicon wafer. However, during the manufacturing process, various foreign substances such as particles, organic pollutants, metal impurities, and the like may be generated. Since the foreign substances cause substrate defects, this may have a direct effect on yield of the semiconductor devices. Thus, a cleaning process for removing the foreign substances may be essentially involved in the semiconductor manufacturing process.
In a general cleaning process, the foreign substances are removed from a substrate by using a cleansing agent, and then the substrate is cleaned by suing deionized water (DI-water). Thereafter, the substrate is dried by using isopropyl alcohol (IPA). However, since the drying process is reduced in drying efficiency when the semiconductor device has a fine circuit pattern, and a pattern collapse phenomenon in which the circuit pattern is damaged during the drying process frequently occurs, the driving process may be unsuitable for a semiconductor device having a line width of about 30 nm or less.
Thus, studies with respect to a technique for drying a substrate by using a supercritical fluid are being actively carried out so as to supplement the above-described drawbacks.

Recycling unit and substrate treating apparatus


This invention relates to a biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film comprising a polyolefin-containing base layer with at least 1 weight percent recycled polyolefin material comprises polyhydroxy amino ether polymer (PHAE) and an amount of compatibilizing agent such that the laminate film has a gel count of less than 15 gels/80 in2. The laminate film could have an optional tie-layer which could comprise PHAE adhered to one side; the polypropylene film contains an amount of reprocessed PHAE-containing film and a compatibilizing agent to reduce significantly or eliminate visual defects such as gels, voids, etc. The use of the compatibilizing agent with the reprocessed PHAE also aids in improving subsequent biaxial film orientation and maintains film properties. The film of the embodiments of the invention has excellent appearance and aesthetic properties and can be suitable for transparent, white opaque, or metallized film applications depending on formulation.

Although recycling has a long history, it is only relatively recently that environmental protection and waste management issues have come to the forefront of both public and political awareness. Plastic recycling has predominately resulted from packaging applications such as packing films while other areas of polymeric waste include: construction, automotive, agriculture and electrical components.
In the production of BOPP films, the use of recycled or reprocessed propylene polymer-based pellets from waste or non-conforming BOPP films back into the core or base layer of said BOPP film is a common practice to reduce costs by replacing a portion of costlier virgin polypropylene material. Generally, the recycled material is similar in composition to the BOPP film it is being used in. This is to help maintain performance properties for the film's particular application and to maintain aesthetic appearance: It is generally desirable to have a film without gross defects such as gels, specks, excessive haze, low gloss, etc.
Some BOPP films can be modified with a skin layer to improve dramatically gas barrier properties. Such materials can either be coextruded or coated. In the case of coating, the skin layer can be applied via in-line coating (i.e. the barrier coating is done prior to transverse direction orientation in a sequential or simultaneous orientation line) or off-line coating (i.e. the barrier coating is done on a separate piece of equipment after the BOPP film is produced). Such high gas barrier materials are usually polar polymers like ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) or polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH). Of particular interest is a polar polymer with exceptional gas barrier properties such as polyhydroxy amine ether (PHAE) which is currently being produced by ICI Packaging Coatings under the trade name "OXYBLOC®." Such polar polymers when used as skin layers on polypropylene films often require tie resins or high surface treatment to achieve adequate adherence to the propylene-based polymer substrate.
Recycling of PHAE-coated polypropylene films back into new film is difficult because of the inherent incompatibility between polar materials and non-polar materials. The PHAE-coated polypropylene films when recycled as pellets to be used in the core layer of new OPP films cause poor film appearance such as high haze and a preponderance of gels as well as processing issues such as film breaks. This is because the highly polar nature of PHAE does not disperse well and is basically immiscible with the non-polar polypropylene. Thus, the PHAE can form domains within the propylene-based polymer matrix which in turn, manifests itself in the bulk film as high haze, low gloss, and gels. These domains can also be points of high stress which can cause film breakage during transverse orientation.
Thus, the use of PHAE-coated BOPP as a recycled material for cost reduction is impractical. This then results in higher costs and larger amounts of scrap and waste material which must be disposed of.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,589,621 describes the composition of PHAE materials and the use of it in containers and laminate structures. Product literature from Kuraray Evalca of GF-30 compatibilizers for EVOH materials describes the use of these materials to help improve recyclability/reprocessing of EVOH in a polyolefin. Commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 7,163,727 describes the use of PHAE on polyolefin and polyester substrates. Commonly-owned U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006/0233988 describes the use of PHAE of different resorcinol diglycidyl ether comonomer content on polyolefin and polyester film substrates. Commonly-owned U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007-0031653 describes the use of PHAE on polyolefin substrates using a tie-layer for improved adhesion. However, there is no mention or contemplation of using PHAE-containing scrap material as a recycle component in the above cited references.
This invention seeks to recycle PHAE-containing laminate films in a virgin polymer without loss in property of the films by combining the recycled PHAE-containing film and virgin polymer.

Reprocessed polyhydroxy amino ether coated polypropylene film


A light emitting diode package and method of manufacturing the light emitting diode package are provided. The light emitting diode package includes a sub-mount portion and a frame portion extending from the sub-mount portion. The frame portion has angled walls and is configured to receive a light emitting diode therein.

This invention relates generally to light emitting diodes (LEDs), and more particularly, to packaging of LEDs.
LEDs are light sources that are illuminated using a semiconductor material, unlike ordinary incandescent and fluorescent light sources. LEDs are much more efficient than ordinary incandescent and fluorescent light sources, with a much higher percentage of the electrical power going directly to generating light, which reduces electrical power requirements. LEDs also have a longer useful life. Some LEDs may emit visible light having different colors. These LEDs also are referred to as visible LEDs (VLEDs). Other LEDs emit light not visible to the human eye, for example, infrared energy. These LEDs also are referred to as infrared LEDs (ILEDs).
LEDs typically have a transparent package surrounding the semiconductor material (i.e., diode) thereby allowing the visible light or infrared energy to pass therethrough. This transparent package is typically formed in a dome shape to collect and focus the light emitted from the LED.
As the cost of manufacturing LEDs has decreased, their use in everyday applications has increased, due in part to their low power requirements, high efficiency and long life. For example, LEDs are used in indicator lights (e.g., alphanumeric readouts or signal lights on vehicles), in panel backlighting (e.g., flat-panel computer displays), for data transmission (e.g., fiber optic data transmission), as an optoisolator (e.g., connecting components within in a system without a physical connection) and for remote controls (e.g., television remote control).
However, because of the configuration of the LEDs, for example the use of flip chip LEDs on surface mount packages, light emitted from portions of the package is lost from the optical axis (e.g., light emitted from edges of the chip). Thus, the electrical to optical efficiency is reduced. Further, this can reduce the overall brightness and effectiveness of the LED.


Embodiments include methods of topology discovery in a virtual environment. Aspects include tracking change events, responsive to a change event, rediscovering dependencies between devices in the virtual environment and maintaining a dependency mapping between the devices. Aspects also include, responsive to a fault event, building a first topology model of the virtual environment and generating a first set of the devices which the first topology model is dependent on. Aspects also include, responsive to a resolution event, building a second topology model and generating a second set of the devices which the second topology model is dependent on. Aspects further include generating a fault device set by combining the first set and the second set, deleting any duplicate devices, and utilizing the generated fault device set to determine which of the devices are more likely to be associated with future fault events.

The present invention relates to topology discoveries, and more specifically to topology discovery for fault finding in virtual computing environments.
There are now a plethora of cloud based software offerings. The underlying technology for these cloud based software offerings are virtual environments such as VMware, Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM), XEN and Microsoft Hyper-V (VMware is a trademark of VMware, Inc. and Microsoft and Hyper-V are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation). Standard operating systems may be run on Virtual Machines (VMs). The standard operating systems are in turn used to run applications that implement a range of services. Each VM directly replicates a physical computer but is run under a hypervisor on a physical host machine that can host several VMs. This is done to maximize host machine utilization and increase fault tolerance by running VMs on a cluster of host machines. If one host machine fails then the VMs can be moved, or migrated, to run on another host machine in the cluster. Higher level software is used to automatically provision VMs in order to provide scalable services on demand. However, these higher level tools increasingly rely on the fault tolerance, load balancing and scalability of the underlying virtual environment which must adapt to meet user demands.
Large scale virtual environments often change rapidly. Typical causes of such changes are VM migration between hosts for load balancing, fault tolerance, maintenance, host standby to save power, VM High Availability and the addition or removal of VMs. In a similar way to host migration VMs can also be migrated between the shared data stores they use, although this typically occurs more slowly and less frequently than VM migration. These functions are controlled centrally and tools to automatically adapt to problem conditions talk to a control center as do traditional fault management systems.
By the time a fault is looked at by an operator the virtual environment may have already adapted to compensate for the problem making it difficult to find what caused the problem and to fix it. Further, the relationship between VM faults and the underlying physical problem is often complex and intermittent making it very difficult to find and encode this relationship heuristically. It is not possible to solely rely on a host producing the same type of error as a VM so that the physical error can be made the root cause and the VM error the symptom. Whilst the virtual environment can adapt to faults, if the root cause is not found and fixed then the overall performance of the system will continue to be effected each time a problematic component is utilized in a way that will cause it to fail.

Topology discovery for fault finding in virtual computing environments

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A spark plug includes a ceramic component, whose surface is at least in part coated with a glaze, with the glaze containing 0.6% to 4% by weight of fluoride and 6% to 11.2% by weight of zinc oxide.

Glazing for the protection of ceramic surfaces is a common practice. Among other things, glazes are used on insulators for spark plugs, in which an appropriate glaze serves to protect the insulation ceramics against environmental effects and render its surface smooth and visually pleasing. In the past, glazes containing lead were used for this purpose; as a result of new developments, however, the use of lead is avoided for reasons of environmental protection.
Such lead-free glazes are, for example, known from European Patent Application No. 788 204, where the glazes are implemented on the basis of borosilicate glasses and contain, at most, only a small amount of lead. In addition, they may contain a fluoride in the form of sodium fluoride or aluminum fluoride.
The criteria important for good processing characteristics of a glaze include its melting point and the stability of the resulting glaze. The desired type of glaze is one with a sufficiently low melting point, and whose stability vis-à-vis crystallization processes and phase precipitations is as high as possible. European Patent Application No. 1 168 546 mentions glazes that have a zinc oxide content of 10 to 30 molar percent to stabilize the glaze. The fluoride content is limited to a maximum of 1 molar percent, but the addition of fluorides is actually undesirable.
In contrast to the related art, an object of the present invention is to provide a lead-free glaze for spark plugs, one that has a low melting point in addition to high stability in the melted state, adheres well to the glazed surface in the cured state, and ensures high mechanical strength of the glazed components of the spark plug.

Method for manufacturing a spark plug with glaze coating


A display device includes a display panel, a light guide plate which is disposed under the display panel and includes a first side surface, a second side surface connected to one end of the first side surface, and a third side surface connected to the other end of the first side surface, a first light source disposed to face the first side surface and including a plurality of light emitting devices including a first light emitting device to emit a first color light and a second light emitting device to emit a second color light, and a first reflecting member disposed on the second side surface and having a complementary color to a color of the light emitted from a light emitting device, which is disposed closest to the one end of the first side surface, among the plurality of light emitting devices.

1. Field
The invention relates to a display device. More particularly, the invention relates to a display device having improved display quality.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a non-self emissive display device, e.g., a liquid crystal display device, generates an image using light provided from a separate light source, e.g., a backlight unit. The backlight unit includes a plurality of light emitting units that emits the light. Each of the plurality of light emitting units includes a plurality of light emitting devices.
The plurality of light emitting units includes light emitting devices that generate different colors. The plurality of light emitting units combines the different colors and emits lights having various colors.


Systems and methods that enhance expressibility in a programming language (e.g., Visual Basic) via relaxation of artificial restrictions and extension of delegates associated therewith, without changing the runtime infrastructure. A stub is employed that can replace an impermissible expression in the programming language, to leverage the existing permissible expressions.

Programming languages continue to evolve to facilitate specification by programmers as well as efficient execution. In the early days of computer languages, low-level machine code was prevalent. With machine code, a computer program or instructions comprising a computer program were written with machine languages or assembly languages and executed by the hardware (e.g., microprocessor). These languages provided an efficient means to control computing hardware, but were very difficult for programmers to comprehend and develop sophisticated logic. Subsequently, languages were introduced that provided various layers of abstraction. Accordingly, programmers could write programs at a higher level with a higher-level source language, which could then be converted via a compiler or interpreter to the lower level machine language understood by the hardware. Further advances in programming have provided additional layers of abstraction to allow more advanced programming logic to be specified much quicker then ever before. However, these advances do not come without a processing cost.
Compilers and/or interpreters bear the burden of translating high-level logic into executable machine code. In general, a compilers and/or interpreters are components that receive a program specified in a source programming language (e.g., C, C#, Visual Basic, Java . . . ) and covert the logic provided thereby to machine language that is executable by a hardware device. However, the conversion need not be done verbatim. In fact, conventional compilers and/or interpreters analyze the source code and generate very efficient code. For example, programmers write code that sets forth a logical flow of operations that is intuitive and easy for humans to understand, but is often inefficient for a computer to execute. Compilers and/or interpreters can identify inefficiencies and improve program performance at the hardware level by eliminating unnecessary operations and/or rearranging the execution of instructions while still achieving the intended results. In this manner, programmers can create robust and efficient software programs.
Artificial restrictions may exist in various programming languages due to requirements of the Common Language Runtime (CLR) environments for example. Consider the following code in Visual Basic that defines the types A, B, C.
Class A . . .
Class B: Inherits A . . .
Class C: Inherits B . . .
Such can define a class hierarchy, wherein any instance of C may be legally substituted wherever an instance of B or A would be expected, and also any instance of B may be legally substituted wherever an instance of A would be expected. This substitutability defines "subtype", wherein class B is a subtype of class A, and that class C is a subtype of both class B and class A, or, symbolically, C<: B<: A. Put differently, "every B is an A, and every C is a B and an A"—(Technically, distinctions exist between "subclass" and "subtype," yet such differences are typically not germane for purposes of the subject innovation.)
The following substitution are considered in context of the following exemplary functions, and it is to be appreciated that other sub statements or procedures can also be implemented
Function F(X As A) As C . . . REM F has type A→C
Function G(X As C) As A . . . REM G has type C→A
Function H(X As B) As B . . . REM H has type B→B
Designating B1 and B2 as two instances of type B, and considering the following assignment statements, which have typed variables on their left-hand sides and function calls on their right-hand sides:B2=F(B1)
Since B1 is an A and F expects an A in its input position, the input is type-safe, as it follows the substitutability criterion above. Since F(B1) is of type C, and every C is a B, the assignment of F(B1) to B2 is also type-safe. Such requires no special treatment, since the type conversions of both the argument and return value are so-called "upcasts," in the normal direction implied by the "is-a" relationship. Such type manipulation can be summarized as follows:
                              F                    ::                    A                →                              C                                                                          B                                                                                1                            ::                            BB                                <                    :      A                      F                          (                      B                                                                          1                    )                          ::            C                                                              REM                                                                                if                                                                                F                                                                                has                                                                                type                                                                                A                        →            C                    ,                      b                                                                          1                                                                          has                                                                          type                                                                          B                    ,          and                                                                                REM                                                                                B                                                                                is                                                                                a                                                                                subtype                                                                                of                                                                                A                        ,            then                                                                                REM                                                                          the                                                                          call                                                                                F                                            (                                  b                                                                                1                                )                                                                                has                                                                          type                                                                          C
The rule for assignments looks/checks that the type of the rhs is substitutable for the type of the lhs:
                                                        F                                            (                                  B                                                                                1                                )                                                  ::                        C                                                                                B2                        ::                        BC                          <            :      B                      B                                                  2            =                        F                                (                          B                                                                                1                        )                                                                    is                                                  valid                                          REM                                                              if                                                                                the                                                              rhs                                                              of                                                                                the                                                                                assignment                                                                                has                                                                                type                                                              C                                                                                and                                                          REM                                                                          C                                                                          is                                                                                a                                                                          subtype                                                                                of                                                                          B                    ,          then                                              REM                                                              it                                                                                can                                                                                be                                                              assigned                                                                                to                                                                                the                                                              lhs                                                              B                                                                          2                        ::                        B                              Likewise, considering the following case of:B2=G(B1)
Since G expects a C in its argument position, a B cannot be freely passed. While every C is a B, it is not the case that every B is a C. As such, the user or the compiler must typically insert an explicit "downcast" type conversion on the argument B1, implying a run-time check of its dynamic type. Similarly, the instance of type A returned by G must be downcast to type B to complete the assignment. So, either the user or the compiler must typically rewrite the statement as follows:B2=Ctype(G(Ctype(B1,C)),B)
Moreover, the call of H creates no difficulty, since both input and return types match exactly. It is trivially type-safe:B2=H(B1)
In general, the current CLR and .NET programming languages only permit the H-form for delegates, in other words, the types must match exactly when calling a function through a delegate. Such can create an inconsistent and counter intuitive programming restriction that hinders flexibility of programming.
Therefore, there is a need to overcome the aforementioned exemplary deficiencies associated with conventional systems and devices.


A hanger rack for hand tools includes a bar having a rail formed at an upper side of the bar. Multiple fixture pieces are movably mounted on the bar. Each fixture piece has a seat with a hook slidably attached to the rail and a hanging member laterally extending from the seat for attaching with a hand tool. Whereby, the fixture pieces are slidable along the bar, spaces between two adjacent fixture pieces can be adjusted according to the sizes of the hand tools such as screwdrivers.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hanger rack for hand tools, and more particularly to a hanger rack of which fixture pieces can be adjusted according to sizes of hand tools.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional hanger rack for hand tools generally includes a bar and multiple fixture pieces. However, the fixture pieces are securely mounted on the bar and spaces between the fixture pieces cannot be adjusted according to sizes of hand tools.
Therefore, the invention provides a hanger rack for hand tools to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.


Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, a base transceiver station such as an Enhanced Node B allocates a first bandwidth for operation with a first set of remote devices which may comprise user equipment (UE), and allocates at least one or more bandwidth segments outside of the first bandwidth for operation with a second set of remote devices which mag comprise user equipment (UE). Remote devices of the first set are capable of operating within the first bandwidth, and remote devices of the second set are capable of operating within the first bandwidth and within the bandwidth segments outside of the first bandwidth. The devices of the first set comprise legacy devices, and devices of the second set comprise advanced devices.

In current wireless networks such as those compliant with a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard, a limited number of resource blocks (RBs) is specified for different bandwidths, for example. If the number of resource blocks available for deployment by a given network operator is larger than the closest specified one, those resource blocks outside of the closest supported bandwidth are wasted. Furthermore, a given stand-alone component carrier introduces some overheads in terms of guard bands, system information, control signals, control channels, and so on, that may be reduced by simple bandwidth extension of a component carrier, rather than defining a stand-alone component carrier. Additionally, asymmetric downlink/uplink (DL/UL) bandwidths are not supported by the current LTE Rel-10 standard, for example, a DL carrier with a 7 MHz bandwidth and an UL carrier with a 5 MHz bandwidth. Evolving networks should provide carriers segment schemes to utilize the additional available resource blocks mentioned in the above scenarios to enhance system throughputs and complement the component carrier aggregation for Rel-10.
It will be appreciated that for simplicity and/or clarity of illustration, elements illustrated in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, if considered appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding and/or analogous elements.

Carrier segment support for wireless networks


The disclosed invention relates to a method of realizing an oxygen laser oscillator. The laser oscillator relating to one aspect of the invention is provided with a laser cavity consisting of a high-reflectivity mirror (108) and a partial-reflectivity output mirror (107), a singlet oxygen generator (105), a focusing optics (109), and a shutter (113). Singlet oxygen (O2(1Δg)) is supplied to the chamber (102A) which is pumped beforehand by a vacuum pump. In order to produce a laser oscillation, the shutter (113) is pulled out so that the radiation from O2(1Δg) goes back and forth inside the laser cavity. This causes a stimulated emission from O2(1Δg), and a pulsed laser is extracted from the output mirror (107).

It is known that a singlet oxygen molecule is generated from the chemical reaction of chlorine gas with a mixed solution of hydrogen peroxide solution (H2O2) and potassium hydroxide (KOH) or sodium hydroxide (NaOH). A chemical oxygen iodine laser (generally called COIL, COIL being an abbreviation for Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser) which operates as a laser by transferring energy of O2(1Δg) to an iodine atom (I) is commonly known as a high energy laser of 1.315 um. Non-Patent literature 1 to 4 explains about the chemical oxygen iodine laser.
One of the reasons for utilizing the energy transfer from the excited O2(1Δg) to iodine is that it is considered that direct lasing from O2(1Δg) is difficult. Actually, there has been no report concerning direct lasing from O2(1Δg). However, there is a report which says weak light was detected in an experiment which aims at the direct lasing of O2(1Δg). In the experiment, a spectrum observation was not performed. Non-Patent literature 5 is the only a report which says that the direct lasing from O2(1Δg) was successful. According to the Non-Patent literature 5, although the lasing of the oxide laser was confirmed, it was a small amount of energy. Since there has been no other report concerning the direct lasing of O2(1Δg), it has been considered that the realization of an oxygen laser is difficult. It is considered that one of the reasons for this is that the long spontaneous emission lifetime of O2(1Δg) makes the laser gain, which is inversely proportional to the spontaneous emission lifetime, quite small.
It has been reported that the spontaneous emission lifetime is approximately 72 mins. which is orders of magnitude longer than that of other lasers. For example, the spontaneous emission lifetime of the excited iodine is approximately 130 ms, which is shorter than that of O2(1Δg) by four digits. Also, YAG laser widely used as a solid laser has a spontaneous emission lifetime of approximately 230 μs (the radiation lifetime for the laser transition is approximately 550 μs), which is shorter than that of O2(1Δg) by seven digits. The spontaneous emission lifetime for O2(1Δg) is further described in a technical paper such as a paper of Non-Patent literature 6.
Meanwhile, the stimulate emission coefficient (B) which influences the easiness of lasing is expressed as the relation (1). Since the stimulate emission coefficient (B) is proportional to the spontaneous emission coefficient (A), which is the reciprocal of the spontaneous emission lifetime, the stimulate emission coefficient for O2(1Δg) becomes quite small. This results in a small gain.[Equation 1]A21/B21=8πv213h/c3  (1)
Where h is the Plank constant, v21 is a frequency of the transition, and c is the speed of light.
However, the small gain does not mean that lasing is impossible, but simply means that lasing is difficult. Since a long gain length is considered to oscillate, simulations are performed to confirm this oscillation.
The simulations are based on rate equations which are typically used to estimate laser power. The utilized rate equations are listed in the table 1. A spectral profile g (v) shown in the following equation 2 is used for the simulations which consider both the Doppler broadening and the pressure broadening.
                              [                      Equation                                                                          2                    ]                                                                                g                                (            v            )                          =                  2                                                              ln                                                                                2                            π                                                                    V                                            (                                  a                  ,                  x                                )                                                    Δ                                                                                v                D                                                                        (        2        )
Where V (a, x) is the Voigt profile which can be calculated as the following equation (3). For example, the following Non-Patent literature 7 explains this point.
                              [                      Equation                                                                          3                    ]                                                                                V                                (                          a              ,              x                        )                          =                              a            π                                                        ∫                              -                ∞                            ∞                                                                                ⅇ                                      -                                          y                      2                                                                                a                    2                                    +                                                            (                                              x                        -                        y                                            )                                        2                                                                                ⅆ                y                                                                        (        3        )
Where a and x are variable numbers defined by the following equations (4) and (5).
                              [                      Equation                                                                          4                    ]                                                                                a        =                                            ln                                                                                2                                                                    Δ                                                                                v                c                                                    Δ                                                                                v                D                                                                        (        4        )                                          [                      Equation                                                                          5                    ]                                                                                x        =                  2                                              ln                                                                                2                                                                    (                              v                -                                  v                  0                                            )                                      Δ                                                                                v                D                                                                        (        5        )
A calculation result of the spectral profile factor g(v) is shown in FIG. 7 with the parameter of the O2 pressure. Since the profile has a curved shape against a frequency v, g (v) value depending on the divided frequency should be considered in the simulation in order to accurately estimate the laser output energy/power. However, to confirm whether lasing is possible, the peak value of the g (v) is used to save computation time.
When considering the laser oscillation of the oxide laser, vibrational levels and rotational levels for the oxygen molecule should be considered. According to Non-Patent literature 8, since most oxygen molecules populate the lowest vibrational level of V=1, the simulations consider the population distribution of only rotational levels to save computation time. The population density N (j) of each rotational level of oxygen molecules can be calculated by the following equation (6).
                              [                      Equation                                                                          6                    ]                                                                                N                                (            J            )                          =                  N                                              hcB              v                                                      k                B                                          T                                                      (                                          2                                                                                J                            +              1                        )                                          exp                                      [                              -                                                      E                                                              (                      J                      )                                                                                k                      B                                                            T                                                              ]                                                          (        6        )
Where kB is a Boltzmann constant, and By is the rotational constant with the value of 42.5 GHz. The By is further explained in the following Non-Patent literature 8. N (J) becomes a carved line shown in FIG. 8 in the case of T=273 deg in the equation (6).
However, the population density N (J) illustrated in FIG. 8 is the sum of the population densities for the three branches which are classified in accordance with the difference between the J number of the upper level and that of the lower level. A branch is called an Q branch when J of the upper level is the same as that of the lower level (therefore ΔJ=0), a branch is called an P branch when J of the lower level is one greater than that of the upper level (therefore, ΔJ=−1), and a branch is called an R branch when J of the lower level is one smaller than that of the upper level (therefore, ΔJ=+1). The population in consideration of transition probabilities of the P, Q, and R branches is illustrated in FIG. 9. It should be noted that, among the three branches, the Q branch gives the strongest emission. Non-Patent literature 10 explains about the transition probability of each branch. The Non-Patent literature 1 reports a measurement result in which the spontaneous emission from the Q branch is the strongest one among the three branches.
Since the lasing starts at the transition from the level with the largest population, the peak value of the population curve is taken into the consideration in the simulation. Although it is considered that the laser transition can simultaneously occur at the several lines with their gains higher than the oscillation threshold, the simulation considers only the peak values of the Q branches.
A computer program of the simulation as explained above has been developed based on the rate equations in consideration of the reaction equations listed in the table 1 in FIG. 10. A space along the laser cavity is divided into a plurality of areas as shown in FIG. 11, and the population density and photon density for each level for each small area are used as variables in the rate equation. In the simulation of the laser cavity, two variables are used for the laser photons, one being for the photons travelling in one direction, the other being for the photons travelling in the opposite direction. However, the first variable is used for the laser amplifier simulation.
The conditions for calculating the simulations are listed in the table 2 in FIG. 12. An excited oxygen generation efficiency of 60% is assumed, considering typical singlet oxygen generators. This means 60% of generated oxygen molecules are assumed to be O2(1Δg), while 40% of the same are O2(3Σg). A total oxygen pressure of 1000 Pa (˜0.1 atm) is assumed considering some high pressure singlet oxygen generators. An oxygen temperature of 0 degrees C. (273.15K) is assumed. And the H2O pressure is assumed to be equal to the saturation vapor pressure at 0 degrees C.
The configuration of the oxygen molecule laser oscillator shown in FIG. 6 is simulated. A laser cavity 615 has an output mirror 607 and a total reflector 608. The output mirror 607 and the total reflector 608 are installed inside a housing 601. Before generating excited oxygen molecules in order to fill the inside of the laser cavity 615 with the excited oxygen molecules, the laser cavity 615 is evacuated (the pumping direction is expressed as an arrow 603). After the evacuation, a valve 604 is closed in order not to pump out the excited oxygen molecules and to fill the inside of the laser cavity 615 with the excited oxygen molecules.
Since it is necessary not to oscillate until the inside of the laser cavity 615 is filled with enough excited oxygen molecules, the total reflector 608 needs to be off-aligned so that the radiation generated inside the laser cavity 615 will not be resonated. Therefore the total reflector 608 is a rotating mirror which is rotated so that the total reflector 608 and the output mirror 607 become parallel only when the laser oscillates. That is, the total reflector 608 as the rotating mirror functions as a Q switch. Such a rotating-mirror Q switch is described in the following Non-Patent Literature 9.
At first, in order to estimate a minimum required length of the laser cavity, an 02 laser amplifier is simulated. The simulation results in a small-signal gain coefficient against a gain length of the amplifier are shown in FIG. 13. As illustrated in FIG. 13, a gain length of more than 7 m is necessary to obtain a gain of more than 1%.
Therefore, to be able to oscillate, the O2 laser oscillator is simulated, assuming a cavity length of 10 m, an output mirror reflectivity of 99.0% and a total reflector reflectivity of 99.9%. The simulation result is shown in FIG. 14. The horizontal axis denotes an elapsed time from a Q switched operation after filling the inside of the laser cavity with the excited oxygen molecules, and the vertical axis denotes time variation of the output laser power density. The result indicates that lasing can be possible with a pulse half width of 20-30 μs at the time of ˜0.15 ms. Since the plotted output power density is only for a single rotational transition, a much larger amount of output energy can be expected considering all the possible laser transitions.
As mentioned above, the simulation shows the possibility of lasing by lengthening a gain length so that it is a long one of 10 m. To realize an actual device with such a long gain length, a large number of excited oxygen molecules are necessary, which might require a big high-flow-rate singlet oxygen generator. However, a big singlet oxygen generator is not necessarily required considering that the singlet oxygen has quite a long radiation lifetime, which allows sufficient time for generating enough singlet oxygen molecules. This is one of the advantages of oxygen molecule lasers.


A method is provided for operating a network device (340) in a wireless network (100). This method includes: joining the wireless network; transmitting a probe command (600) after joining the wireless network, the probe command being addressed to a reserved device identifier; listening for an acknowledgement to the probe command from an orphan device (360); sending a management transmission to a network controller (310) requesting the creation of a child network if an acknowledgement to the probe command is received; receiving a controller transmission from the network controller granting permission to create the child network; creating the child network; and allowing an outside device to join the child network.

Some wireless networks are centrally controlled, with a single device coordinating the operation of all of the devices in the network. This central coordinator provides instructions to each of the devices regarding transmission times, power levels, and the like. One example of this sort of network is a piconet using the proposed IEEE 802.15.3 standard.
In such a centrally-controlled network, all of the devices in the network must be able to both send and receive data from the central coordinator. Any device that cannot reliably communicate with the central coordinator of a network cannot join the network.
This means that a local device that can physically communicate reliably with a target device (i.e., it is within operational range of the target device) might not be able to effectively communicate with that target device if the target device is already in a network. In such a case, the local device would have to also be able to communicate with the central coordinator to be assigned the necessary channel time for such a communication.
If the local device can't communicate with the central coordinator, then it won't be able to join the same network that the target device is in to ask to speak to that device. And since the coordinator allocates resources for communication in the network, if the local device is not in the same network as the target device, then the target device will never be assigned any time to communicate with the local device.
In some protocols the target device could create a child network within the main network it belongs to facilitate communication with the local device. In this case the target device would take on the properties of the central coordinator with respect to that child network, and its limits of communication would set the boundaries of the child network. Once the child network was started, the local device could become a member of that child network and request communication with the target device.
However, with current networks, there is no way for the target device to know that there is another device looking to communicate with it. And absent the knowledge that there was another device that would benefit from the creation of a child network, the target device has no reason to start such a child network.

Method of communicating with a network device


A method of directly precipitating a spherical amorphous silica in a high yield by adding a carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as a coagulation growing agent in a step of neutralizing the alkali silicate with an acid. The CMC having a particular etherification degree and a particular polymerization degree is added in an amount of from 1 to 100% by weight reckoned as SiO.sub.2 with respect to silica in the alkali silicate, whereby the whole silica particles turn into spherical amorphous silica particles having high sphericalness. There can be obtained spherical amorphous silica particles having a BET specific surface area of from 25 to 800 m.sup.2 /g, an apparent specific gravity of from 0.1 to 0.8 and a particle diameter of from 0.2 to 50 .mu.m cheaply and in a high yield.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of producing a granular amorphous silica and, more specifically, to a method of directly producing a spherical amorphous silica in a step of neutralizing a mixture solution of an alkali silicate and a carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) with an acid.
2. Prior Art
Owing to their properties, amorphous silica particles have been extensively used as a filler for paints, information-recording papers, rubbers and resin-molded articles and as a carrier for catalysts, chromatos, perfumes, medicinal components and the like. They can be produced by a dry method or a wet method. The dry-method silica particles have a fine spherical shape as they are obtained by decomposing SiCl.sub.4 in an oxygen-hydrogen flame and have relatively small surface activity due to their specific surface area, porous volume and porous distribution. The wet-method silica particles have relatively large surface activity and are indefinite in shape as they are obtained by neutralizing an alkali silicate with an acid. In particular, the latter wet method makes it possible to obtain an amorphous silica having widely different properties by changing the conditions such as the concentration of the reaction product, temperature, pressure, time and reaction method at the time of neutralizing the alkali silicate with an acid.
In utilizing the amorphous silica particles for a variety of applications, one of the important characteristics is the dispersion property of the silica particles. To obtain this property, the particles must have a predetermined spherical shape with small coagulating property.
So far, fine spherical silica particles have been produced by hydrolyzing an organosilane in an organic solvent such as ethanol, by forming a silica sol or gel into spheres, by preparing a W/O emulsion from an aqueous solution of alkali silicate and an organic solvent followed by hydrolysis, by adding an organic gelating agent such as formamide to a mixture of a colloidal silica and an alkali silicate by forming fused silica into spherical particles, and by treating a definite shape particles of various kinds of zeolites with an acid. According to the above conventional methods, however, the starting materials that are used are expensive, and the aforementioned demands are not satisfied to a sufficient degree.
In recent years, U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,458 is disclosing a method of producing fine spherical silica comprising adding an acid solution to a solution of a soluble silicic acid, and then adding thereto a metal salt of alkali alginate, ammonium alginate, starch, gelatine, pectin, or an organic polymer solution of a mixture thereof prior to forming a gel.
The present inventors have proposed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 193927/1993 a method of producing amorphous spherical silica particles by adding an acrylamide-type water-soluble high molecular polymer in a step of neutralizing an alkali silicate with an acid.
The above prior arts are excellent in their idea for directly producing fine spherical silica particles by adding a water-soluble high molecular polymer in a step of neutralizing the alkali silicate with an acid, but leave problems that must be solved in practicability.
First, according to the former method, the yield of the fine spherical particles is about 40%, the obtained particles have uneven shapes and particle sizes, and are very poorly filtered exhibiting very poor practicability (see Comparative Examples appearing later).
According to the latter method, on the other hand, the yield of fine spherical particles is greatly improved, the obtained particles exhibit uniform shapes and particle diameters and are further excellently filtered accompanied, however, by a problem in that a coagulation growing agent which is used is a relatively expensive water-soluble high molecular polymer of the type of acrylamide and must be used in large amounts still leaving room for improvement from the standpoint of cost.

Method of producing granular amorphous silica


A method manufactures a multipolar electrode device, in particular a multipole for use in a mass spectrometer, wherein the electrode device includes at least one main filter and at least one pre- and/or postfilter. The electrode blanks are separated in several sections for producing the pre- and/or postfilters, which are thereby maintained by a holder in a constant relative position to each other. Moreover, an electrode device may be used in a mass spectrometer and a mass spectrometer may have such a multipolar electrode device.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for manufacturing an electrode device, in particular a multipole, for use in a mass spectrometer, whereby the electrode device comprises at least a main filter and at least a pre- and/or postfilter. The invention further relates to such an electrode device, as well as a mass spectrometer with such a multipolar electrode device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Multipolar electrode assemblies for the characterization of the chemical compounds are known in the prior art, for example from German patent specification 944 900. Such multipole mass filters work without a magnetic field. A quadrupole, for example, consists of four metal rods, which serve as electrodes and which are arranged on a circle with radius R0. The voltage at the electrodes is composed of a high-frequency AC voltage and a DC voltage, where the respective opposite pairs of the electrodes have a high-frequency voltage shifted by 180°. The ions to be separated are shot in longitudinal direction of the electrodes into the field as a fine ion beam. Due to the applied AC and DC voltages, the ions are moved along defined trajectories through the mass filter. Outside stable basic conditions the ions collide with the electrodes, whereby the ions are neutralized. This results in that these neutralized ions no longer get to the detector.
The voltage applied to the electrodes is linear to the detected ion mass, wherefore for running through the mass range, thus for adjusting the desired mass to be detected, a proportional change of AC and DC voltage has to be made. A change of the resolution can be caused by varying the voltage conditions. In particular, a stability diagram is important, which is calculated according to the differential equations of Mathieu. A good overview about the functioning of a quadrupole including an explanation of the stability diagram can be found in Miller & Denton, 1986, "The Quadrupole Mass Filter: Basic Operating Concepts", Journal of Chemical Education, Volume 63, No. 7, pages 617 to 623.
When measuring with a multipole, particularly the alignment of the electrodes to each other is important because the alignment must be executed with high accuracy. A manufacturing process for this high-precision alignment is known, for example, from DE 10 2004 054 835 A1. Nevertheless, the problem remains that the border areas of the electrodes represent more unstable zones for ions and thus contribute to a defocusing. This effect was particularly studied by Dawson, 1971, "Fringing Fields in the Quadrupole Mass Filter", International Journal of Mass Spectrometry and Ion Physics, Volume 6, pages 33 to 44. Dawson did simulations based on the findings of Brubaker, who proposed prefilter and postfilter for the first time. Prefilters and postfilters act as a pre- or poststage of the main filter by only applying an extenuated AC voltage. Thus, the field begins and ends not abruptly for the ions, but the ions are slowly led out or led into the field. Therefore, the ions reach a higher stability and thus a better focusing. Thereby, the prefilters and postfilters work like a lens.
The high-precision alignment of the electrodes to each other (for example, prefilter to main filter) has to be considered in the implementation of prefilters and postfilters in practical use because even small inaccuracies can lead to field interference. In DE 22 15 763, for example, the implementation of prefilters and postfilters is shown. However, in this case great effort with high costs are involved for high-precision alignment of the filters to each other. Therefore, in the prior art a method is missing, which ensures an accurate alignment with low effort and thus also has a high analytical measurement accuracy.

Electrode device with pre- and/or postfilters and manufacturing method therefor, as well as a mass spectrometer with such an electrode device

VACUTEC Hochvakuum- & Präzisionstechnik GmbH


A motor controller for an axial-gap motor permits a reduced size of the entire system of including a drive circuit and a power source of the motor, reduced cost, and higher reliability to be achieved by controlling the energization mode of the motor. The motor controller has a torque command determiner which inputs a first DC voltage to a first inverter at least either when a rotor is at a halt or when the number of revolutions of the rotor is a predetermined number of revolutions or less, supplies a field axis current for changing the magnetic flux of a field of the rotor to a first stator from the first inverter such that the amount of energization is temporally changed, converts an induced voltage developed in a second stator by the supplied field axis current into a second DC voltage by a second inverter, and outputs the second DC voltage, thereby charging a second battery.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a controller for an axial-gap motor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, there has been known an axial-gap motor equipped with a rotor having permanent magnets, two stators provided, one each of which is disposed on each side of the rotor in the rotational axial direction of the rotor, and armature windings wrapped around each of the stators, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-271784 (hereinafter referred to as cited document 1) and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-136721 (hereinafter referred to as cited document 2). Such an axial-gap motor is capable of generating a relatively high output torque while achieving a reduced length of the rotor of the motor in the axial direction.
According to the techniques disclosed in the above cited documents 1 and 2, the energization of an axial-gap motor is controlled by the passage of current through the armature windings of the two stators, one each of which is disposed on each side of the rotor. This arrangement reduces the leakage of magnetic fluxes in the armatures of the stators, thus leading to increased output torque of the motor.
Here, it is conceivable to operate the axial-gap motor also as a generator, so that the motor runs in a power running mode and a regenerating mode. However, the cited documents 1 and 2 do not refer to any construction for operating the axial-gap motor in an energization mode for running the motor in a regenerative mode or the like other than the one for operating the motor in a power running mode.


A divot repair tool for fixing divots in the playing surface made while playing golf. The tool is attached to the grip of a golf club and used to replace and fix divots in the grass. The club allows the tool to be extended to the ground without bending over or squatting down, thus reducing sports related injuries. The divot repair tool includes removable prongs and blade that can be used to fix the divot holes using a levering motion or a rotational motion. The divot repair tool can include an automated motorized embodiment that can rotate the tool and the individual prongs to repair the divot holes. Both versions can press the divot material up against a flat surface of the tool to further flatten the playing surface.

The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.
Golf is a sport enjoyed by millions of people all over the world. The sport is played by hitting a golf ball with a club. When swinging the golf club, the process of striking the golf ball can often form a divot, or hole, in the grassy playing surface. When the ball lands, it can often form a divot on the green or other parts of the playing surface.
Some golfers carry a variety of secondary tools and appliances in addition to their golf clubs. These tools can include ball markers, cleat tools, towels, distance finders, ball retrieval devices, ball cleaners, etc. One of the more frequently used tools is a divot tool for repairing the grassy playing surface after a divot has been formed.
Divot tools often include a handheld two-pronged hand device which can be inserted into the grassy playing surface and used to restore the grass to a semblance of its original condition. Such devices are often pocket sized and carried by the golfer or included in the golf bag. This requires the golfer to bend over to use the tool to repair the surface.

Divot tool and method of manufacture thereof


A coating composition may include a polyol, a silsesquioxane, a polyurethane dendrimer, a crosslinker, and a pigment in contact with a dispersing agent. A process for preparing a coating composition is further disclosed including the step of contacting a polyol, a silsesquioxane, a polyurethane dendrimer, and a crosslinker to form a coating mixture dispersed within a solvent. The process further includes adding a pigment in contact with a dispersing agent to the coating mixture, and forming a self-stratifying coating having at least one layer, wherein the pigment resides substantially within one of the at least one layer.

Coatings for transportation means, such as, for example, motor vehicles, airplanes and rail-mounted vehicles, may combine both functions of decoration and protection. In many circumstances, the coatings are developed to withstand extreme demands with respect to corrosion protection, scratch resistance, optics, coloring, chemical resistance, and resistance to other possible environmental effects.
Currently, coatings such as composite paints may comprise at least one multifunctional layer. For example, a composite paint such as an automotive topcoat may contain a basecoat (e.g., color coat) which is applied separately and before the application of a separate clearcoat. The functions of the top layer may include protecting coating pigments from the elements of weather, providing scratch and mar resistance, and providing gloss and the depth of field.
Typically, coatings may comprise additional constituents including pigment dispersions used to impart color. Conventional pigments utilized may include titanium dioxide (TiO2), graphite, and carbon black, for example. In producing known pigmented coating compositions, particularly in multi-layered (e.g., self-stratifying or self-layering) compositions, it is uncertain whether the pigment dispersion may segregate in a particular layer or be found throughout the coating. In certain applications, it may be desirable to produce a pigmented top or intermediate film layer within a composite paint. Thus, a need exists for methods to control the location of pigments within self-stratifying or self-layering coating compositions.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Methods and compositions for pigmented self-stratifying coatings

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc


A propagation prediction model having adjustable parameters is optimized in a mobile communications network, by subdividing a service area into a plurality of map tiles, predicting a tile reliability from the model for each map tile, averaging the predicted tile reliability from all the map tiles to obtain a predicted average service area reliability, measuring a service area reliability for all the map tiles to obtain a measured service area reliability, comparing the predicted average service area reliability with the predicted average service area reliability, and adjusting the parameters of the model when the measured service area reliability differs from the predicted average service area reliability by a predetermined amount.

Mobile communications is experiencing enormous growth, thereby requiring proper planning, expanding, operating and optimizing of mobile communications networks. For example, in a public safety network having one or more base stations in radio communication with land mobile radios (LMRs), both vehicular and handheld, operated by public safety personnel, such as first responders, too few stations may result in spotty or unreliable radio coverage, whereas too many stations are redundant and expensive. A radio signal experiences path loss during propagation between a mobile radio and a network transceiver at a station. Path loss is the attenuation or reduction in power of the propagated radio signal and is due to myriad variable factors, e.g., the spreading of the radio signal over the distance between the radio and the station, the height and location of antennas on the radio and the station, the terrain profile (hilly, mountainous, flat, etc.), the environment (urban, suburban, rural, open, forested, sea, etc.), and so forth. For example, the radio signal could be at least partially absorbed, reflected, or diffracted by trees, buildings, etc. in its path of propagation. Similarly, in a telephone network having one or more cell towers in radio communication with handheld, mobile phones having built-in radio transceivers, too few towers can be as problematic as too many towers, and the radio signal similarly experiences path loss during propagation between a mobile phone and a network transceiver at a tower.
Determining or calculating the path loss (usually expressed in dB) is known as propagation prediction, and various prediction models, tools, systems, and methods have been employed for network planning and optimization. One popular empirical model is described by Okumura et al. in "Field Strength and its Variability in VHF and UHF Land-Mobile Radio Service," Rev. Elec. Commun. Lab., vol. 16, no. 3, 1968, pp. 825-873 (the "Okumura model"), in which field strength versus distance for various terrains, environments, and antenna heights are predicted. Measurement test data are often used to fine tune the Okumura model, as well as other models, based on a comparison of predicted versus measured signal strength. Yet, existing tuning methods that are based solely on signal strength still leaves uncertainty in the accuracy of the propagation prediction as it relates to network performance.
Accordingly, there is a need to optimize any empirical propagation prediction model to increase the accuracy of the propagation prediction in mobile communications networks.
Skilled artisans and practitioners will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and locations of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
The method and system components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

Method of and system for optimizing an empirical propagation prediction model in a mobile communications network


An optical element includes: a conductive film having a through opening and a periodic uneven structure (grooves) formed in a surface thereof; and a photonic crystal. The grooves are formed around the through opening, the photonic crystal has an optical waveguide and a defect structure (point defect) optically coupled to the optical waveguide formed therein, the conductive film is disposed opposite to the photonic crystal, and the through opening is opposite to the point defect.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a micro-optical element used for optical interconnection or the like. In particular, it relates to an optical element using a photonic crystal.
2. Prior Art
Photonic crystals are periodic structures composed of a periodic array of two or more materials of difference refractive indices. The period is corresponding to about half of light wavelength. Photonic crystals are drawing attention because they can highly control the behavior of light. Photonic crystals allow light to be efficiently confined in a spatial domain that is no greater than the wavelength or to be refracted at a steep angle with a low loss. Therefore, if a photonic crystal is used in an optical element, the size of the optical element can be significantly smaller than that of conventional one.
In order to put an optical element using such a photonic crystal into practical use, the optical element has to be optically coupled to an external optical system, such as an optical fiber. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-272555 (referred to as literature 1, hereinafter), there is disclosed an art of optical coupling by introducing light into a two-dimensional photonic crystal slab through a surface of the slab perpendicularly from outside thereof.
In addition, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-72607 (referred to as literature 2, hereinafter) which is laid open in 1999 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-171763, there are disclosed optical transmission arts that significantly increase the transmittance of light passing through a series of openings, having a diameter smaller than the wavelength of the light, formed in a metal film.
According to this art, by forming the openings in the metal film in a periodic array, or by giving a periodic configuration associated with the openings to the metal film surface, the intensity of light applied to the metal film and passing through one or more openings in the metal film that have a diameter smaller than the wavelength is significantly increased compared with the metal film having neither such a periodic array of openings nor such a surface configuration. According to experimental verification, it is possible that the light intensity increases by a factor of 1000. It can be considered that such an increase of light intensity occurs when the light incident on the metal film interacts in a resonant manner with the surface plasmon mode excited in the metal film.
According to the method of optical coupling by introducing light into a two-dimensional photonic crystal slab through a surface of the slab perpendicularly from outside thereof, such as that described in the literature 1, the size of a defect formed in the two-dimensional photonic crystal slab to achieve optical coupling is quite smaller than the wavelength of the light used. For example, in case where the wavelength of the light is 1.5 μm, the size of the defect is about 0.5 μm. Therefore, there is a problem that the coupling loss at the defect is extremely high because a normal lens cannot condense light to a size equal to or smaller than the wavelength of the light.
On the other hand, according to the arts disclosed in the literature 2 and the like, light can quite efficiently pass through openings having a diameter smaller than the wavelength of the light. However, the light having passed through the openings spreads out naturally. In those literatures, there is not described any device that allows efficient use (optical coupling) of the light having passed through the openings with a low loss.

Japan Aviation Electronics Industry Limited


Disclosed is a solar cell module including: a plurality of solar cell units each including a supporting substrate 30 and an even number of solar cells 20 disposed on the supporting substrate 30; and a conductor 10 configured to electrically connecting surfaces of adjacent solar cells 20 that have opposite surface polarities and are formed in respective solar cell units adjacent to each other. The solar cells 20 having the opposite surface polarities are alternately arranged in each of the solar cell units so that the surface polarities of the adjacent solar cells 20 are opposite to each other, and the solar cell unit has one or more sets of two solar cells electrically connected to each other on the supporting substrate 30.

A solar cell module (refer to, for example, Patent Document 1) has been so far disclosed in which, as shown in FIG. 19, the surfaces of alternately arranged p-on-n solar cells 1a and n-on-p solar cells 1b are connected in series to each other through interconnectors 4 and the light-receiving surface is covered with a single transparent cover plate 3. Such a solar cell module has an advantage of allowing simplification of the structure of the interconnector 4 making connection between two solar cells, thereby eliminating a complicated wiring work for passing the interconnector 4 from the back to the front.
On the other hand, reduction in the thickness of a wafer is now desired for the purpose of reducing the manufacturing cost. A wafer thickness as thin as 100 μm or less, however, results in significant reduction of the strength of the wafer. Accordingly, a general process of manufacturing a solar cell module is difficult to directly apply.
According to the structure of a solar cell module shown in Patent Document 1, a wafer is thus pasted on a substrate 6. This allows reinforcement of the wafer as well as simplification of wiring work. It is therefore considered that the production yield of the solar cell module is increased.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication NO. Sho 63-278279

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.