A device for controlling the discharge of a battery supplying an intermittent load, such as a nerve stimulation device. The device includes a controller which operates a switched inductor to feed a capacitor with numerous small pulses from the battery, thereby building up the charge and voltage on the capacitor, and occasionally discharging the capacitor to a load. The capacitor discharge is at higher current than the small pulses from the battery, so the battery is drained at small instantaneous discharge rates compared the too high instantaneous discharge current from the capacitor.

Portable electrotherapy devices typically utilize a relatively small battery to power internal circuitry which, in turn, provides an output in the form of an electrical signal. The electrical signal output of such devices has been shown to have therapeutic benefit to a patient for a wide variety of medical conditions. These devices have been described as non-invasive nerve stimulation devices, electro-acupuncture devices, and in acupuncture terminology stimulate an acupuncture point.
Portable electrotherapy devices are most conveniently powered by coin cell or button cell batteries such as those used for hearing aids, calculators and other small consumer electronic devices. Through pulse generating circuits, these devices may deliver thousands of pulses per hour from the battery. For example, an electrical pulse repetition rate of approximately 70 pulses per second and a pulse width of 80 microseconds have been found to provide effective relief of nausea. Hundreds of thousands to millions of pulses may be required to treat long lasting nausea, as may be required for post operative nausea, chemo-therapy nausea and other long lasting nausea conditions.
These electrotherapy devices provide a variety of pulse amplitude variations and combinations, or bursts of pulses at specific intervals. For example, the electrical pulse pattern used in our ReliefBand® electrotherapy product comprises about 350 microsecond pulse width at about 31 pulses per second at power levels of about 10–35 milliamps peak pulse height. A wide range of pulse patterns may be used in noninvasive nerve stimulation devices.
Other electrotherapy devices are designed for Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES), which exercises muscles near the point of stimulation. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) inhibits sensory nerve communications in the area of stimulation to block pain. All these battery powered electrotherapy devices are characterized by a stimulation output, typically in the form of a voltage or current pulse delivered at a particular pulse shape and waveform. The pulse amplitude, pulse width, and pulse frequency are selected so as to be suitable for treating particular symptoms or conditions such as pain, addiction, nerve disorder, muscle disorder, organ malfunction, etc. Patients using these devices receive direct benefit through the improvement of their quality of life.
The energy needed to deliver the stimulation output is delivered from a battery supply, which may consist of one or more battery cells at a particular nominal voltage and particular battery chemistry. Our ReliefBand® electrotherapy device uses coin cell batteries of standard size, which are readily available. The stimulation output peak pulse amplitude is commonly in a range of 1 to 100 milliamps, which is delivered for a particular time depending on the pulse waveform.
Many types of batteries suitable for use in battery powered electrotherapy devices are optimized to deliver electrical current at lower loads than the required stimulation output. For example, a typical coin cell battery may be rated to provide 0.1 to 0.3 milliamps of current for 100 minutes if the battery is drawn down at an average electrical current draw of 0.1 to 0.3 milliamps.
As a result of the discrepancy between the optimal current draw on the battery and the current draw required for therapeutic pulses, the battery is not used optimally and battery performance and battery life are degraded. Because of battery chemistry, the overall amount of power that can be drawn from a battery is smaller for large current drains than for small current drains. A battery may be able to provide 0.02 milliamps for 100 minutes, but may only provide current of 0.1 milliamps for 10 minutes (instead of 20 minutes), so that half the battery power is lost if the current is drawn off rapidly. Moreover, the problem becomes even greater as the current draw is increased. Thus, drawing current at the rate of 1 milliamp will not provide the expected 1 minute of current (at an expected half power loss), but will provide far less, perhaps only a small fraction of a minute of current at 1 milliamp. For example, if a battery is discharged for a 10 millisecond pulse of 1 milliamp every second, the average current draw is 0.01 milliamps, but the battery will be depleted according to the instantaneous current of 1 milliamp, not the average current of 0.01 milliamps. Rather than obtaining 100 minutes of operation, the battery will provide far less current and power. If, however, the battery is discharged at 0.02 milliamps for a 0.5 second pulse every second, the average current draw still is 0.01 milliamps, but the battery will last according to the instantaneous current draw of 0.02 milliamps. The battery will provide 100 minutes of current when drawn down in this manner.
Battery powered electrotherapy devices usually require a higher voltage therapeutic output pulses than can be provided by conveniently available batteries. Accordingly, electrotherapy devices typically use a transformer to step up the pulses from the battery output to the higher voltage output required for therapeutic devices. The high voltage output is required to allow the pulsed electrical current to be delivered to a particular electrical load, for example, living tissue. The electrical impedance of human skin can be modeled as a 500 ohm resistance. Accordingly, if the device is to deliver 30 milliamps into the skin, then it needs to provide a 15 volt output across the skin.
In a conventional electrotherapy device, a transformer is typically connected to the battery, either directly or through a switching mechanism, and the voltage output from the transformer is proportional to the battery voltage. A problem occurs when the battery voltage begins to lower as the battery becomes depleted. Because the high voltage output is proportional to the battery voltage, the output voltage capability lowers and eventually the electrical current output also lowers for a given electrical load. When the current output lowers, the device's therapeutic effectiveness is lessened.
This problem is a serious problem for patients who use electrotherapy devices for chronic conditions. The patient may experience a lower quality of life, and possibly a degradation in health, as the device's therapeutic effectiveness diminishes over time. The device may provide a low battery indicator, but effectiveness may still be diminished. The device may also just shut off if the battery becomes too depleted, at which point the individual is left without the therapeutic benefit of the device with no adequate warning to allow for a replacement device or battery supply to be obtained. Moreover, current electrotherapy devices do not manage battery consumption so as to obtain the maximum available amount of power from the battery. This leads to more frequent battery replacements than would be required if the battery power could be managed more effectively.
Various circuits have been proposed for use in monitoring charge remaining on a battery, or to generate a pulse from a battery for use in an electrotherapy device. A number of devices have used methods for measuring remaining battery capacity directly for implanted devices e.g., Renirie et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,369,364, Schmidt, U.S. Pat. No. 5,369,364, Arai, U.S. Pat. No. 5,744,393, Thompson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,391,193. These methods may include switching to an alternative power source e.g., Fischell, U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,866, or disabling the therapeutic output on a low battery condition, e.g., Putzke, U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,875, but do not address the regulation of the stimulation output as the battery is depleted.
Privas, U.S. Pat. No. 5,218,960, describes a low battery voltage detector for stopping stimulation pulse generation when the battery is too low, but that method requires a priori knowledge of the low battery cutoff voltage so that the circuit component values can be set accordingly. Privas does not address the problem of the therapeutic output voltage lowering as the battery voltage lowers to the cutoff value, thereby decreasing the therapeutic value of the output. Also, Privas does not provide the individual with adequate warning of the pending low voltage condition and cessation of therapeutic output, rather, the output is stopped and the low battery signal is given at the same time.
Dufresne et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,864, describes a circuit for generating a high voltage and monitoring that high voltage through circuit feedback to maintain the high voltage within a specified range as the battery supply is depleted. The Dufresne et al. method suffers in that the charging pulse width in the high voltage generator must be lengthened as the battery supply is depleted. This causes an increase in power consumption that Dufresne et al. address by limiting the charging pulse width to a maximum value. As a consequence, the Dufresne et al. method cannot dynamically adjust the monitored high voltage generator to take advantage of the full range of battery supply capacity. Further, Dufresne et al. makes no provision for adequately warning the patient of the remaining battery life when their control circuit switches to a lengthened pulse width.
Owens, U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,083, describes a system for monitoring the battery voltage and decreasing the output power to allow the system to operate at lower battery voltage as battery power decreases during normal use. The Owens method suffers in that output power must be decreased, rather than maintained at a constant, therapeutic level. Although Owens provides for a low battery indicator, the only indication given is that the output has been decreased. It does not provide for any indication of remaining battery life.

Method and apparatus for low power, regulated output in battery powered electrotherapy devices


A visual analytics method and system is disclosed for visualizing an operation of an image classification model having at least one convolutional neural network layer. The image classification model classifies sample images into one of a predefined set of possible classes. The visual analytics method determines a unified ordering of the predefined set of possible classes based on a similarity hierarchy such that classes that are similar to one another are clustered together in the unified ordering. The visual analytics method displays various graphical depictions, including a class hierarchy viewer, a confusion matrix, and a response map. In each case, the elements of the graphical depictions are arranged in accordance with the unified ordering. Using the method, a user a better able to understand the training process of the model, diagnose the separation power of the different feature detectors of the model, and improve the architecture of the model.

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to the prior art by inclusion in this section.
Object recognition is a fundamental problem in computer vision that involves classifying an image into a pre-defined number of classes. Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have achieved state-of-the-art results on this problem, thanks to the availability of large and labeled datasets and of powerful computation infrastructure. CNNs automatically extract discriminative classification features from the training images and use them in combination to recognize complex objects. This enables CNNs to significantly outperform traditional computer vision approaches on large-scale datasets such as ImageNet, as the latter usually rely on heuristic features.
To make CNNs applicable to critical domains, it is important to evaluate the reliability of the features they learn and to understand possible reasons behind classification errors. A number of techniques have been proposed to visualize these features in the image space. However, little focus has been given to visualization of the classification error itself and to refine CNNs accordingly.

Visual analytics system for convolutional neural network based classifiers


An improved automated parking garage structure comprising a supporting framework bearing a plurality of vehicle parking stalls arranged in a radial manner on a plurality of levels about a central core. Each of the stalls support a vehicle on a series of fingers. An elevator tower is located within said central core and has an elevator platform adapted for vertical travel, the tower rotating about a vertical axis. A transfer lift for transferring a vehicle between ground level and a level for transfer to or from said elevator platform; is located at ground level and accepts vehicles for parking and return. The elevator platform includes an extension carriage for transferring a vehicle between the platform and the stalls and transfer lift. Operation of the transfer lift, elevator and tower are coordinated by an automated control system, which may include a first unit located at the tower and a second unit, serving as a customer interface, at a remote location. The two units are preferably coupled together by a wireless communication link.

As a result of the increasing scarcity of land space, and increasing costs of labor, it is becoming more and more difficult to provide parking spaces and facilities, particularly in urban areas. In the present inventor's U.S. Pat. No. 3,497,087 of Feb. 24, 1970, there is disclosed an innovative parking system utilizing a circular tiered construction having a radial parking configuration for vehicles, in which the vehicle stalls are arranged circumferentially about an inner elevator structure. Such a general system contemplated significant economies in both site utilization and operation.
The present invention is an improvement to the invention, and further refines and modifies the general concepts disclosed therein. The features and benefits of such an improved parking structure include efficiencies in vehicle positioning and entry/exit from the structure, automated location identification and vehicle loading and retrieval, improved stability of the structure and improved safety.


A method for reducing Internet bandwidth used for data transfer between an originating modem and an answering modem over a VoIP connection is provided. Idle data received from the originating modem is detected by an Internet node. The Internet node does not forward the detected received idle data over the VoIP connection. To keep the modem connection between the originating modem and the answering modem alive, the Internet node regenerates idle data and transmits the regenerated idle data to the answering modem upon detecting no data received for forwarding to the answering modem.

A modem translates digital data originating in a digital device, such as a computer, to an analog signal so that it can be transmitted on an analog telephone line to another digital device. The modem also translates the incoming analog signal originating in the other digital device to digital data for the digital device. Thus, the analog telephone line can be used to transmit data between digital devices.
In order for a modem to transmit data to another modem, the calling (originating) modem dials the telephone phone number of the answering (terminating) modem. The General Switched Telephone Network ("GSTN") (the Public Switched Telephone Network, ("PSTN"), is an instance of a GSTN) rings the answering modem indicating an incoming call. The answering modem goes off-hook to accept the call. A GSTN switched connection now exists between the calling modem and the answering modem. The modems go through a series of training steps, to adjust to each other's characteristics, and to the characteristics of the switched connection. These training steps can include Answer Back Tone ("ABT") and other modem detect signals, V.8, V.8bis, auto-mode, and the negotiation of error correction and data compression. These steps are defined by the International Telecommunications Union ("ITU") V series of modem recommendations and other modem specifications including Flex and MNP5 compression. ITU V series modem recommendations include, for example, V.8, V8bis, V.42, V.42bis, V.21, V.22bis, V.32, V.32bis, V.34, V.90 and V.92.
Real-time audio, such as a telephone conversation originating on an analog telephone line, may be transmitted over a packet network such as, the Internet using Voice over Internet Protocol ("VoIP"). VoIP may be used instead of a GSTN switched connection in order to avoid incurring charges for a long distance telephone call. One standard VoIP protocol for encapsulating real-time audio data is the Real-Time Transport Protocol ("RTP") (Request for Comments ("RFC") 1889, January 1996) available on the Internet Engineering Task Force ("IETF") web site.
To transmit voice data over the Internet, a packet transmitter in the source Internet node encodes the analog voice signal, stores the encoded data in the payload of one or more data packets, and transmits the data packet over the Internet. Each data packet includes a destination address in a header included in the data packet.
Modem and Voice transport services are inherently part of a traditional GSTN network. Thus, a VoIP gateway must support both modem and voice. One known method for supporting modem service over VoIP transport is called modem pass-through. Modem pass-through emulates a GSTN network when transporting a G.711 Pulse Code Modulation ("PCM") stream. To implement modem pass-through, VoIP sets its encoder/decoder (CODEC) to PCM, disables the echo canceler and fine tunes the voice play out for handling de-jitter of arriving RTP data packets.
Voice activity detection ("VAD") is a method used by VoIP to detect the start of a period in which audio received from the GSTN network does not contain spoken words. The period in which the audio does not contain spoken words is sometimes called "a period of silence". Upon detecting a period of silence, the transmitter gateway stops transmitting data packets onto the VoIP network. During the period of silence, the remote gateway generates comfort noise and transmits the comfort noise to the GSTN network. However, when transmitting data between modems, there is no "period of silence" while the connection is idle, because of the requirement to keep the connection between the modems alive. Thus, using VoIP to transfer data between modems consumes Internet bandwidth by transferring unnecessary idle data packets over the Internet while the connection is idle.


A support device for implanting stentless valve prostheses, such as biological heart valves, includes a hub and a plurality of support portions for supporting the stentless valve prosthesis. The hub defines a manipulation axis for the device and is flexibly connected to the support portions to allow displacing the manipulation axis for the device between the support portions.

Valve prostheses, such as e.g. cardiac valve prostheses, can essentially be separated into two basic categories, namely mechanical valve prostheses and biological valve prostheses. Generally, in mechanical valve prostheses, the blood flow through the valve is controlled by one or more obturators including rigid bodies mounted so as to be able to oscillate or "tilt" in a rigid support. In contrast with biological valve prostheses, blood flow is controlled by valve leaflets formed of biological tissue.
The biological valve leaflet material, which is subjected to treatment (stabilization) to render it biologically inert, can be derived from a natural cardiac valve taken from an animal (for example, a natural pig's valve) or can be formed from biological tissue other than valve tissue (for example, bovine pericardium).
Biological valve prostheses may in turn take the form of "stented" valves—where the valve leaflets are mounted on a rigid or slightly flexible stent or armature—and "unstented", or "stentless", valves.
Documents EP-A-0 515 324 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,953 disclose various embodiments of stentless cardiac valve prostheses, including embodiments where the biological material is replaced (either partially or completely) with an artificial/synthetic material such as a micro-porous and/or composite synthetic material, for example polyurethane.
Stentless valve prostheses exhibit as a whole characteristics of deformability that offer functional advantages due to a great similarity to the anatomy of natural valves.
Implantation of a stentless valve prosthesis, either by conventional thoracic surgery or by minimally-invasive surgical techniques, may involve positioning the prosthesis at the implantation site (e.g. an aortic site) by using a "holder" device.
The holder may, for example, support the prosthesis i) during production of the prosthesis, while the prosthesis is subjected to phases of immersion in treatment liquids, ii) after the valve has been inserted into its package, where it is usually kept immersed in a storage liquid, and/or iii) during implantation to enable the surgeon to implant the prosthesis. Holder devices may include a support or "grip" hub adapted for connection to a manipulation handle. The surgeon can thus locate the prosthesis (fixedly held by the holder) at the implantation site and properly orient it to ensure that the leaflets of the prosthesis are positioned at the same angular locations of the leaflets of the natural valve substituted by the prosthesis. Exemplary of such a holder is the arrangement disclosed in US 2008/0262603 A1, including a grip element from which a plurality of arms extend for supporting a prosthetic heart valve at an intermediate position between the commissures.
In the case of a stentless prosthesis, the deformability of the prosthesis demands a high degree of skill by the intervening surgeon.

Support device for valve prostheses and corresponding kit


A single-pass method for generating test patterns for sequential circuits operates upon an iterative array of time-frames representing the circuit. A mapping function is inserted at the end of each time-frame. Fault objects arriving at circuit next-state lines are mapped into good next-state fault objects and are placed onto corresponding present-state lines for a next time-frame. The good next-state mapping permits fault-propagation and path-enabling function size to be bounded by a size established during an initial time-frame. Path-enabling functions created during the initial time-frame are saved and are reused during subsequent time-frames. A search for test patterns continues from one time-frame to a next until a valid test pattern is found for each detectable fault.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,789,222 teaches complete test pattern generation methods for combinational circuits. The methods find all test patterns for all detectable faults for a combinational circuit. This result is accomplished during a single pass through a circuit-level sorted description of a combinational circuit (e.g., a netlist). The methods implement an incremental, breadth-first process that attempts to activate and to propagate faults through the circuit. Faults reaching circuit primary output lines define test patterns.
A sequential circuit can be represented as a combinational part and a separate feedback storage part (prior art FIG. 1). The circuit can be analyzed as an iterative array of the combinational parts, each containing a copy of the fault (prior art FIG. 2; see for example, K-T Cheng, "Tutorial and Survey Paper: Gate-Level Test Generation for Sequential Circuits," ACM Trans. Design Automation of Electronic Sys., Vol. 1, No. 4, Oct. 1996, Pages 405-442).
The teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 6,789,222 can be applied to such an iterative array for generating test pattern sequences for sequentially detectable faults.
One way to do this is to create an array having a desired number of time-frames and to treat the array as a single, deep, combinational circuit. Use a data structure for path-enabling and for fault-propagation functions that is large enough to accommodate the single, deep, combinational circuit. The data structure size must represent a present-state and include one input vector for each time-frame of the array. Perform combinational test pattern generation on the single, deep, combinational circuit. Solving the problem this way, however, is impractical and limits the usefulness of the solution to very small sequential circuits and, at most, a few time-frames.
Another way to accomplish the desired result is to permit the data structures representing path-enabling and fault-propagation functions to begin at a size sufficient to handle a first time-frame. Then increase the data structure size to accommodate one additional input vector per additional time-frame. This solution, though complicated, permits slightly larger circuits or a few more time-frames to be handled. However, the function size grows rapidly and limits the size of the circuit and the number of time-frames. This approach too is impractical.
What is needed is a deterministic test pattern generator for sequential circuits that finds test pattern sequences for sequentially detectable faults during a single pass through an iterative array representation of a sequential circuit.
Such a test pattern generator should use a data structure having size equal to that of the data structure used during an initial combinational time-frame.
It should be unnecessary to predict a maximum number of time-frames that may be needed.
Finally, for all faults during all subsequent time-frames, the test pattern generator should reuse the path-enabling functions created during the initial combinational time-frame.

Single-pass methods for generating test patterns for sequential circuits


A method for preparation of a printing plate by an electrophotographic process comprising, in order, a) forming a toner image on an electrophotographic light-sensitive element having a release surface by an electrophotographic process using a liquid developer comprising a dispersion medium having dispersed therein toner grains each containing at least one resin (A) having a glass transition point of from 20.degree. C. to 80.degree. C. or a softening point of from 35.degree. C. to 100.degree. C. and at least one resin (B) having a glass transition point or a softening point at least 2.degree. C. lower than that of the resin (A), b) drying the toner image to remove the dispersion medium thereby causing at least partial adhesion between the toner grains, c) bringing the toner image into contact with an intermediate transfer medium having a surface adhesion force of not less than 3 gram.multidot.force at temperature (T.sub.1) and not more than 40 gram.multidot.force at temperature (T.sub.2), at the temperature (T.sub.1) to transfer the toner image onto the intermediate transfer medium, and d) bringing the toner image into contact with a final receiving material having a surface capable of providing a hydrophilic surface suitable for lithographic printing at the time of printing at the temperature (T.sub.2) higher than the temperature (T.sub.1 to transfer the toner image onto the final receiving material. According to the method of the present invention, the toner image formed from a liquid developer is transferred with good efficiency onto the final receiving material through the intermediate transfer medium, and the printing plate obtained provides a large number of prints having highly accurate images free from background stain. An apparatus suitable for conducting the method is also disclosed.

Owing to the recent technical advancements of image processing by a computer, storage of a large amount of data and data communication, input of information, revision, edition, layout, and pagination are consistently computerized, and electronic editorial system enabling instantaneous output on a remote terminal plotter through a high speed communication network or a communications satellite has been practically used.
Light-sensitive materials having high photosensitivity which may provide direct type printing plate precursors directly preparing printing plates based on the output from a terminal plotter include electrophotographic light-sensitive materials.
In order to form a lithographic printing plate using an electrophotographic light-sensitive material, a method wherein after the formation of toner image by an electrophotographic process, non-image areas are subjected to oil-desensitization with an oil-desensitizing solution to obtain a lithographic printing plate, and a method wherein after the formation of toner image, a photoconductive layer is removed in non-image areas to obtain a lithographic printing plate are known.
However, in these methods, since the light-sensitive layer is subjected to treatment for rendering it hydrophilic to form hydrophilic non-image areas or removed by dissolving out it in the non-image areas to expose an underlying hydrophilic surface of support, there are various restrictions on the light-sensitive material, particularly a photoconductive compound and a binder resin employed in the photoconductive layer. Further, printing plates obtained have several problems on their image qualities or pinning durability.
In order to solve these problems there is proposed a method comprising providing a transfer layer composed of a thermoplastic resin capable of being removed upon a chemical reaction treatment on a surface of an electrophotographic light-sensitive element, forming a toner image on the transfer layer by a conventional electrophotographic process using a liquid developer, transferring the toner image together with the transfer layer onto a receiving material capable of forming a hydrophilic surface suitable for a lithographic printing, and removing the transfer layer to leave the toner image on the receiving material whereby a lithographic printing plate is prepared as described in WO 93/16418.
According to the method for preparation of printing plate using the transfer layer, a printing plate having good image qualities is obtained without various restrictions on the photoconductive layer employed in the hitherto known methods as described above. However, in the above-described method, the step for removing the transfer layer by a chemical treatment is indispensable in order to prepare a printing plate. Thus, simplification on a process for the preparation of printing plate and improvement in working efficiency are still limited.
Also, a method comprising development of an electrostatic latent image on an electrophotographic light-sensitive element with a liquid developer and transfer of the toner image thus formed onto a receiving material such as paper has been known. Such a method, however, causes specific problems based on the liquid developer as described, for example, in Eiichi Inoue (supervised), Shashin Kogaku no Kiso-Higin-enyou Shashin Hen, p. 364, Nippon Shashin Gakkai (ed.), Corona (1982). Specifically, when the development is conducted using a liquid developer containing toner grains having a diameter of from 0.2 to 2 .mu.m, a layer of carrier liquid having a thickness of from 100 to 200 .mu.m is formed on the surface of electrophotographic light-sensitive element, and when the developed light-sensitive element is brought into contact with a receiving material to transfer, the toner image does not sufficiently adhere to the receiving material due to the presence of carrier liquid, resulting in decrease in transfer efficiency. On the other hand, when the carrier liquid is removed, adhesion force between the toner image and the surface of light-sensitive element becomes greater and the transfer efficiency of toner image tends to deteriorate. Therefore, decrease in image qualities on the transferred image cannot be avoided.
Various investigations on improving a liquid developer used and a transfer method have been made in order to solve the above-described problems.
One method comprising, after development of an electrostatic latent image on an electrophotographic light-sensitive element with a liquid developer, transferring the toner image thus formed to a receiving material by contacting together the surfaces of the electrophotographic light-sensitive element and the receiving material while maintaining a large amount of the carrier liquid under applying a transfer potential using a corona charger or a bias roller has been proposed. However, in this method the carrier liquid present between the light-sensitive element and the receiving material may flow during transfer to cause streaks in the transferred image.
In order to prevent such a defect, JP-B-51-44654 (the term "JP-B" as used herein means an "examined Japanese patent publication") discloses a method wherein a thickness of the carrier liquid on the light-sensitive element after development is controlled in a range of from 5 to 30 .mu.m by corona discharge before the transfer of toner image. This method eliminates the above described problem by remaining the necessary and sufficient amount of carrier liquid for wet type transfer between the light-sensitive element and the receiving material and attains the improvement in transfer efficiency. Also, unnecessary penetration of the carrier liquid into the receiving material is depressed.
Although the streaks in the transferred image due to the excess carrier liquid present during the transfer are prevented to a certain extent by controlling the thickness of carrier liquid according to this method, there is another problem in that the toner image formed on the light-sensitive element per se is disordered by the corona discharge employed for controlling the thickness of carrier liquid, which results in the formation of cutting, distortion or spread of image.
JP-A-1-225975 (the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application") discloses a method wherein an amount of the remaining carrier liquid is controlled by introducing a drying step after development and then the toner image is transferred by a pre-charge step with corona discharge. However, in order to obtain a transferred image having good image qualities in a stable manner, it is necessary to extremely precisely control a space between the light-sensitive element and the receiving material.
There is a method for transfer the toner image by directly contacting the light-sensitive element bearing the toner image with a receiving material using a roller. This method, however, accompanies the flow of carrier liquid on the light-sensitive element and thus, the disorder of toner image on the light-sensitive element and the streaks in the transferred image may occur.
In order to prevent such defects, a method wherein two transfer rollers are provided and the opposite bias voltage are applied to these rollers is described in JP-B-46-1799. This method is not satisfactory, although the disorder of toner image is prevented to a certain extent.
Further, a method of interposing a resinous solution between the light-sensitive element and the receiving material to uniformly control the amount of toner transferred is disclosed in JP-A-55-95971, and a method of using a liquid developer containing spacer particles for preventing collapse of toner grains during transfer is disclosed in JP-A-59-100458, JP-A-60-95550 and JP-A-62-14168. However, these methods are still insufficient in view of the transfer efficiency or the disorder of toner image. In addition, when the receiving material having the toner image is employed as a printing plate, the resin used adheres to the surface of printing plate which tends to cause background stains on prints.
Moreover, various methods for transferring the toner image on the light-sensitive element to a receiving material not directly but through an intermediate transfer medium have been investigated. For instance, methods wherein the toner image is transferred from the light-sensitive element to an intermediate transfer medium is conducted by electrostatic transfer using corona discharge as described above and transfer to a final receiving material is performed by contact transfer using pressure together with heating are described in JP-A-63-34573, JP-A-2-264280, JP-A-3-243973, JP-A-4-50968, JP-A-4-507303, JP-A-5-503166 and JP-A-6-508444. Even in these methods, the toner image is not completely transferred from the light-sensitive element and the light-sensitive element must be cleaned. Also, it is difficult to fully dissolve the disorder of transferred image during the contact transfer with heating. Thus, these methods are yet insufficient for the formation of highly accurate image which is particularly required nowadays.
In order to solve various problems accompanied by the transfer to a final receiving material, JP-A-5-100579 discloses a method using two intermediate transfer media wherein the second intermediate transfer medium has an adhesive or adherent surface and transfer of the toner image to the first intermediate transfer medium is carried out electrostatically, and after drying the carrier liquid, the toner image is transferred by contact transfer to a final receiving material via the second intermediate transfer medium. However, since the method includes the increased number of transfer times, it is necessary to control each step with accuracy for obtaining the image having good image qualities in a stable manner. Further, construction of a device for transfer is complicated and it is difficult to assemble a simple and compact platemaking machine.
On the other hand, a method for transferring a conductive dry toner via an intermediate transfer medium having an adhesive surface is described, for example, in Tadashi Ogasawara and Masatoshi Kimura, Daiyonkai Non-Impact Printing Gijutsu Symposium Ronbunshu, p. 101 (1987). When the method is carried out using a liquid developer, transfer failure occurs due to decrease in the adhesion force of surface of intermediate transfer medium resulting from the contact with the carrier liquid, or transfer failure or disorder of tone image tends to occur during transfer to a final receiving material. Therefore, the specific problems based on a liquid developer has not been dissolved.

Method for preparation of printing plate by electrophotographic process using liquid developer


An electrical connector includes a base including a base housing, and a socket including a socket housing. Each of two socket side walls of the socket housing is provided with a first protrusion, and a distance L4 between two base side walls is equal to or larger than a distance L2 between the respective leading ends of the first protrusions. Each of two base side walls is provided with a first engagement projection on its inner surface, and a distance L1 between the respective leading ends of the first engagement projections is smaller than the distance L2 between the respective leading ends of the first protrusions, and the distance L1 is equal to or larger than a distance L3 between the two socket side walls. While the socket is completely accommodated in a socket accommodation chamber, each first protrusion is positioned below the corresponding first engagement projection.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector including: a base configured to be mounted on a substrate; and a socket configured to hold an electric wire.
2. Description of the Related Art
Patent Literature 1 discloses an electrical connector including a first connector (a base) and a second connector (a socket), which electrical connector does not require a slider for locking and therefore has a smaller number of parts. In the electrical connector of Patent Literature 1, the first connector is mated with the second connector as follows. First, projections respectively provided on side surfaces of the second connector are respectively fitted in communication grooves provided on side walls of the first connecter, and then the second connector is moved in a thickness direction, i.e., downward, thereby conducting a first mating. Thereafter, the second connector is moved toward an operator in a depth direction, to cause the projections to be moved along the recesses provided on the side walls of the first connector, thereby conducting a second mating. After the second mating, walls defining the recesses prevent the second connector from moving in the thickness direction.


This invention relates to a composition, comprising:. (A) at least one compound selected from the group consisting of. (A-1) a compound represented by the formula EQU T.sup.1 T.sup.2 --P(X.sup.1)--(S).sub.n --S--C (X.sup.2)--L.sup.1(A-I) PA2 (A-2) a compound represented by the formula EQU T.sup.3 T.sup.4 --P(X.sup.3)--(S).sub.n --S--(DMTD)--S--J (A-II) PA2 (A-3) a compound represented by the formula EQU L.sup.2 --C(X.sup.4)--(S).sub.n --S--(DMTD)--S--G (A-III) PA2 (A-4) mixture of two or more of (A-1), (A-2) and (A-3);. and. wherein in Formulae (A-I), (A-II) and (A-III): (DMTD) is a dimercaptothiadiazole nucleus; J is H, SR, --S--P(X.sup.5)--T.sup.5 T.sup.6 or --S--C(X.sup.6)-L.sup.3. G is H, SR or --S--C(X.sup.7)--L.sup.4. T.sup.1, T.sup.2, T.sup.3, T.sup.4, T.sup.5 and T.sup.6 are independently R, SR or OR; L.sup.1, L.sup.2, L.sup.3 and L.sup.4 are independently R, SR, OR or NRR; X.sup.1, X.sup.2, X.sup.3, X.sup.4, X.sup.5, X.sup.6 and X.sup.7 are independently O or S; each R is independently a hydrocarbyl group; and n is 1 to 4. In one embodiment, the inventive composition further comprises (B) an acylated nitrogen-containing compound having a substituent of at least about 10 aliphatic carbon atoms, (C) a phosphorus compound, (D) a thiocarbamate, and/or (E) an organic sulfide other than (A). The invention also relates to a lubricating composition or functional fluid characterized by enhanced antiwear properties and comprising the foregoing component (A) and, optionally, one or more of the foregoing components (B), (C), (D) and/or (E).

Engine lubricating oils require the presence of additives to protect the engine from wear. For almost 40 years, the principal antiwear additive for engine lubricating oils has been zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate (ZDDP). However, ZDDP is typically used in the lubricating oil at a sufficient concentration to provide a phosphorus content of 0.12% by weight or higher in order to pass required industry standard tests for antiwear. Since phosphates may result in the deactivation of emission control catalysts used in automotive exhaust systems, a reduction in the amount of phosphorus-containing additives (e.g., ZDDP) in the oil would be desirable. The problem sought to be overcome is to provide for a reduction in the amount of phosphorus-containing additive in the lubricating oil and yet provide the lubricating oil with desired antiwear properties. The present invention provides a solution to this problem by providing compositions that can function as either a partial or complete replacement for ZDDP.
The use of ashless dispersants in lubricants is disclosed in numerous patents, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,172,892; 3,219,666; 3,272,746; 3,310,492; 3,341,542; 3,444,170; 3,455,831; 3,455,832; 3,576,743; 3,630,904; 3,632,511; 3,804,763; and 4,234,435.
The use of metal salts of phosphorodithioic acids as additives for lubricants is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,263,150; 4,289,635; 4,308,154; 4,322,479; and 4,417,990. Amine salts of such acids are disclosed as being useful as additives for grease compositions in U.S. Pat. No. 5,256,321.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,758,362 discloses the addition of a carbamate to a low phosphorus or phosphorus free lubricating oil composition to provide a composition with enhanced extreme-pressure and antiwear properties.
The use of disulfides represented by the formula (R.sub.z YC.dbd.S).sub.2 S.sub.2, wherein Y is O, S or N, and z is 1 when Y is O or S and 2 when Y is N, as lubricant additives is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,681,316; 2,691,632; and 2,694,682.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,307,307 discloses the use of compounds represented by the formula (RXC.dbd.S).sub.2 S.sub.n, wherein X is O or S, and n is greater than 2, as lubricant additives.
The use of compounds represented by the formula (ROC.dbd.S)S.sub.2 in lubricants for use on bearing surfaces is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,110,281 and 2,206,245. U.S. Pat. No. 2,431,010 discloses the use of compounds represented by the formula (ROC.dbd.S)S.sub.n, wherein n is 2-4, as soluble cutting oil additives.
The use of thiuram sulfides as lubricant additives is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,081,886; 2,201,258; 3,249,542; 3,352,781; 4,207,196; and 4,501,678.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,034,141 discloses that improved antiwear results can be obtained by combining a thiodixanthogen (e.g., octylthiodixanthogen) with a metal thiophosphate (e.g., ZDDP). U.S. Pat. No. 5,034,142 discloses the addition of a metal alkoxyalkylxanthate (e.g., nickel ethoxyethylxanthate), a dixanthogen (e.g., diethoxyethyl dixanthogen) and a metal thiophosphate (e.g., ZDDP) to a lubricant to improve antiwear.
European patent application 0 609 623 A1 discloses an engine oil composition containing a metal-containing detergent, zinc dithiophosphate, a boron-containing ashless dispersant, aliphatic amide compound, and either a dithiocarbamate compound or an ester derived from a fatty acid and boric acid. Among the dithiocarbamates that are disclosed are sulfides and disulfides.

Mixed polysulfides and lubricants and functional fluids containing the same


A motor core coated with a multi-layer insulating film. The insulating film preferably includes in order: an electrodeposited coating film applied upon an outer surface of the motor core; a first spray coated insulating film applied upon an outer surface of the electrodeposited coating film the first film having a pencil hardness of between about 2H and 4H; and a second spray-coated insulating film applied upon an outer surface of the first spray-coated insulating film, the second film having a pencil hardness of between about 3H and 6H. The invention is additionally directed to a variety of methods for forming such insulation-coated cores.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an insulated motor core. More specifically, it relates to a motor core coated with a multi-layer insulating film and to methods for producing the insulated core.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the prior art, it was customary to insulate motor cores using resin-based insulation coatings, powder-based coatings and electrostatically applied coatings. However, in applying such coatings, those skilled in the art encountered problems in forming films on angular areas of the core and in small crevices thereon. In instances requiring relatively thick coatings of the insulation film, motor cores have come to be insulated with the use of electrodeposition techniques. This technique is advantageous from the standpoint of rust prevention as well as for making it possible to form insulation films even on angular parts or in small crevices. (See, e.g., Toku Kai Sho 58-83559, Toku Kai Sho 58-83561 and Kokai Jitsuyo 61-205111).
As shown by these references, the performance of small motor cores is significantly affected by the thickness of the insulation film. That is, as the thickness is increased, the film-coated area of the winding becomes smaller, thereby making it necessary to restrict the number of windings. Even if the same number of windings may be used, the total length of the windings becomes greater, thereby adversely affecting the efficiency of the motor and making it difficult to reduce the size of the motor as a whole.
The above deficiencies are incapable of being overcome with the use of conventional coating techniques. Thus those who practice in the field of coating motor cores have moved toward the use of electrodeposition coating, which technique is capable of producing motors that have superior corrosion resistance. (Toku Kai Hei 01-278242)
However, even electrodeposited coatings on motor cores suffer from certain deficiencies. For example, Toku Kai Hei 8-265994 discloses a core having an electrodeposited film, which does not provide satisfactory insulation, produced by electrodeposition upon a core for a motor that drives a magnetic memory medium such as a hard disk. The problems with the coating are attributable to thickening of the coating along the edge of the core.
As described in the above reference, the tin (Sn) component of the aqueous coating solution used in the electrodeposition coating process is present in an amount of less than 12 ppm. As the amount is increased, the coating becomes thicker. The amount of carbon black is set at less than 0.5 weight per cent. An insulation film is electrodeposited to a prescribed thickness on the parts of the motor (i.e., the plastic magnet of the Nd—Fe—B system, the core made of silicon steel, and the motor base formed of die-cast aluminum) by means of cation electrodeposition coating employing an electrodeposition paint which was prepared by adding Ti02 and/or Si02 to the paint. The painted parts are heated to between 40 and 120 degrees centigrade, following which a second-stage hardening treatment is carried out wherein the parts are heated to between 150 and 190 degrees centigrade.
The reference discloses that in a hard-disk drive device prepared by assembling the coated parts, there is no scattering of the tin and no destruction of the memory. A disc drive device having satisfactory corrosion resistance and insulation properties is thus obtained.
Insulating films formed via electrodeposition coating are characterized in that, as opposed to those formed by spray coating, an electrodeposited film can be formed everywhere upon the surface of a device, including the corners, no matter how complicated the shape involved may be. Electrodeposited coatings are further characterized in that the insulation film may have a minimal thickness, thereby rendering the technique advantageous from the standpoint of permitting a reduction in size of the coated part. Nevertheless, even with the use of electrodeposition coating techniques, it is difficult to ensure that the thickness of the coated film at an angular portion of the coated device is the same as the thickness of the film on the planar portions thereof, thus rendering it substantially inevitable that the film at the aforementioned angular portions will be thinner than that on the planar portions. In view of the fact that, moreover, the tension at the time of winding is concentrated at the angular portions, the reduced thickness of the film at such angular portions, results in incursion of the winding whereupon the winding comes into contact with an uninsulated portion of the part, thereby leading to an insulation failure. Furthermore, the reduced thickness of the electrodeposited film at such angular portions often permits rusting of the coated part.
Accordingly, it is problematic in the case of an electrodeposited coating, to form a film having a uniform thickness, including upon the angular portions of the coated part, thereby rendering it difficult to reduce the size of the core, as well as that of motors containing such cores.
Further to the above, where the core is insulated solely with the use of an electrodeposition coating (which forms a coating film), if the thickness of the electrodeposited film is increased in an effort to ensure an adequate thickness on the angular portions of the core, the rate of occurrence of gas pin-holes rises, depending upon the conditions governing the electrodeposition, thereby rendering it difficult to obtain the anticipated degree of insulation. Thus, electrodeposition coatings alone do not necessarily provide a stable and reliable insulated coating film. This deficiency is demonstrated by the results of Pressure-Resistance tests on electrodeposition-coated films, the results of which are indicated below. The Pressure-Resistance test is well-known among those of ordinary skill in this art as a means of measuring resistance to passage of a current, also referred to herein as "pressure resistance" or "electrical pressure resistance", through a coated object. The test is performed by connecting electrical leads to a coated and an uncoated surface, respectively, of an object, such as a motor core, and passing an alternating current (AC) measuring, e.g., 100, 200 and/or 500 volts (V) between the leads. Where the electrodeposited film thickness was 25 μm, the rate of failure under AC 100V pressure was 70 per cent. When the film thickness was 30 μm, the rate of failure under AC 200V pressure was 85 per cent. With a film thickness of 40 μm, the rate of failure under AC 200V pressure was 50 per cent. When the film thickness measured 50 μm, the rate of failure under AC 500V pressure was 40 per cent. The above results indicate that it is difficult, with the use of a electrodeposition coated film alone, to achieve 500V pressure resistance, even when the thickness of the film is increased.
The present invention is directed to a motor core wherein the above-described problems have been solved. In one example, the invention relates to a core with an insulating coating that is thin and has satisfactory rust-preventive and insulation properties, that does not lead to problems in connection with the winding of the slot of the motor core, and that is suitable for use in the preparation of a small-sized precision motor of high efficiency.
These objectives are achieved by the motor core of the invention in which, as described below, an electrodeposition coating is provided mainly for the purpose of rust prevention. Preferably, the insulating film coating includes a multi-layer laminated structure having: an electrodeposited layer, a comparatively soft insulation layer whose purpose is to form a uniform film and to allow production of a desired film thickness on angular portions of the coated substrate, and a relatively harder insulation layer adapted to prevent incursion due to tension at the time of winding.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention which refers to the accompanying drawings.

Insulated motor core and method for producing same


A semiconductor structure is formed of nitrides of group III metals having wurtzite crystal structure and grown in vapor phase on a (0001) oriented semiconductor substrate. The structure comprises a bottom cladding layer, a top cladding layer, and a diffusion region positioned between the cladding layers for diffusing light propagating within the semiconductor structure. The diffuse region has refractive index different from those of the cladding layers and non-flat surfaces for providing light diffusing interfaces between the diffusion region and the cladding layers. According to the invention, the diffusion region comprises a plurality of diffusion layers, compositions and thicknesses of said diffusion layers having been chosen to avoid formation of strain-induced dislocations in the diffusion region, and adjacent diffusion layers having different refractive indices in order to further enhance the diffusion efficiency.

Design of a semiconductor structure for light emitting diodes influences on overall efficiency of the diodes through two main parameters: efficiency of conversion of electrical power to optical power in light generation region and efficiency of emission of light generated in this region from the structure. In a light emitting structure made of nitrides of group III metals grown in vapor phase on foreign substrate with refractive index less than that of the structure materials, a significant part of generated light propagates inside the structure due to reflection on structure/substrate and structure/ambient interfaces. Only a part of light propagating within a certain critical angle, defined by Snell's law and related to the surface normal direction, leave the structure through the structure surface. This critical angle depends on refractive indices of structure material and substrate and ambient materials. Due to a significant difference in these refractive indices between the substrate (e.g., ≈1.8 for sapphire) and the ambient (e.g., ≈1.5 for typical encapsulating resins), as compared to the structure materials (≈2.5-3), this critical angle is relatively small. Up to two thirds of light can propagate in structure layers, serving as waveguide. In light emitting diode chips, this light is potentially capable to exit via chip sides. However, because of the many loss mechanisms present in the structure layers and electrodes, most of this light is lost before exiting chip sides. Because of this, the efficiency of light emission from the structure is significantly decreased, resulting in decreased overall device efficiency.
A number of methods including ex-situ technological operations constitute a significant part of the patents devoted to the problem. One method for improving capability of light to be emitted from the structure is to shape light emitting surface into a hemisphere. This method is disclosed by Scifres and Burnham in U.S. Pat. No. 3,954,534 and includes formation of hemispherical depressions on a substrate with subsequent growth of semiconductor layers over the substrate and removing the substrate away. Another solution is disclosed by Krames and Kish Jr. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,924. It is suggested to increase transmission of total optical power from the structure to ambient by fabricating ordered interface texturing. This texturing reduces Fresnel reflection at the interface between the structure and ambient and increase the critical angle, propagating within which light can leave the structure through the surface. Kish Jr. and Stockman in U.S. Pat. No. 5,793,062 suggested inserting non-absorbing distributed Bragg reflectors inside the structure designed to redirect light away from absorbing regions such as contacts within the chip. In fact, it is hard to grow laterally patterned distributed Bragg reflectors in case of nitrides of group III metals. Gardner et al in U.S. Pat. No. 6,847,057 B1 disclose a light emitting device, in which improved light diffusion is provided by texturing of the substrate surface, or structure surface, or one of internal structure interfaces. The invention also suggests using an optional polarization selection layer that polarizes the photons emitted by the active region. The polarization selection layer can be wire grid polarizer and may be formed on a side of the substrate opposite the device layers. A wire grid polarizer reflects photons of a polarization that is parallel to the wires, and transmits photons of a polarization that is perpendicular to the wires. The combination of the wire grid polarizer and reflecting texturing surface should recycle photons until they achieve a certain polarization. As already mentioned, one common disadvantage of these methods is that, although they can provide effective light diffusion, they require a number of ex-situ operations resulting in complicated manufacturing process.
Several in situ methods have also been suggested. Krames et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,649,440 B1 disclose an in situ method of making a light emitting device with improved light extraction efficiency. The method utilizes a thick multi-layered epitaxial structure that increases the light extraction efficiency from the device. The multi-layered structure does not absorb the light, and its increased thickness allows light trapped within a waveguide to escape the light emitting device through the sides of the structure with fewer reflections, thus avoiding light losses in active region and electrodes. A disadvantage of the method is that the multi-layered structure must be much thicker than light emitting region to provide significant improvement of light extraction from the device, thus resulting in significantly higher growth time and cost of such structure, as compared to conventional structures. Besides, thick multi-layered structure can induce significant strain in the light emitting structure. Krames et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,683,327 B2 disclose a light emitting device including a nucleation layer containing aluminum. The thickness and aluminum composition of the nucleation layer are selected to match the index of refraction of the substrate and device layers, such that 90% of light from the device layers incident on the nucleation layer is extracted into the substrate. One disadvantage of this method is that it is hard to grow in vapor phase light emitting structures above such a nucleation layer, having thickness required to provide effective light diffusion, without deteriorating structural quality of above grown layers. Thibeault et al in U.S. Pat. No. 6,821,804 B2 disclose several solutions based on creation of arrays of light extraction elements formed either within the structure or on the substrate prior to epitaxial growth. The array of light extraction elements are formed to provide a spatially varying index of refraction, so that light trapped within a waveguide interacts with the arrays, changes direction of propagation and can escape the light emitting device. These solutions improve significantly capability of light to be emitted from the structure; however inclusions of foreign materials can introduce additional defects in structure layers. Another proposed solution is insertion of disperser layers formed either within the structure or on the substrate prior to epitaxial growth. However to provide refractive index difference large enough for effective light refraction, a layer made of nitrides of group III metals should have thickness and composition, which can introduce significant additional strains in the structure. Shen et al in U.S. Pat. No. 6,903,376 B2 disclose a light emitting device, which includes light emitting region and a reflective contact separated from the light emitting region by one or more layers. The separation between the light emitting region and the reflective contact is between 0.5λn and 0.9λn or between λn and 1.4λn, etc, where λn is the wavelength of light emitted from the light emitting region in an area of the device separating the light emitting region and the reflective contact. According to the invention, light extraction efficiency of top-side flux as a function of the separation distance has maximums at certain values, because of the phase shift of light reflected from the reflective contact and interference of light directly emitted from the light emitting region and reflected from the contact. In fact, however, this phenomenon is efficient for thin single quantum well regions, but less pronounced in case of complex light emitting regions having several quantum wells. One common disadvantage of all the described in situ methods is that they result in additional strains in the structure with consequent increase of defect density.
As one of the latest solutions, Lee et al in US patent application 2005/0082546 A1 disclose a method, which includes formation of a substrate having at least one protruded portion with a curved surface, in which uniform stress distribution can be obtained. The device provides improved light extraction, while saving consistent defect density in the structure. One disadvantage of this method is that, although it provides effective light diffusion, it requires complicated manufacturing process, including ex-situ operations.

Semiconductor structure and method of manufacturing a semiconductor structure


Cyclic tetrapeptide stereochemical isomers of CJ-15,208, pharmaceutical compositions from such cyclic tetrapeptides, and methods of using such pharmaceutical compositions. The cyclic tetrapeptide compounds and pharmaceutical compositions disclosed herein are potent analgesics active in several pain models with generally minimal tolerance and reduced likelihood to induce addiction relative to other known opiates.

Opioid receptors are a group of inhibitory G protein-coupled receptors with opioids as ligands. Opioid receptors are distributed widely in the brain, and are found in the spinal cord and digestive tract. The types of opioid receptors are mu (μ) MOR, kappa (κ) KOR, and delta (δ) DOR. The receptors were generally named using the first letter of the first ligand that was found to bind to them. For instance, morphine was the first chemical shown to bind to mu receptors. The first letter of the drug morphine is m, rendered as the corresponding Greek letter μ. In similar manner, a drug known as ketocyclazocine was first shown to interact with kappa receptors, while the delta receptor was named after the mouse vas deferens tissue in which the receptor was first characterized. The mu receptor is the primary target of currently used narcotic analgesics.
The opioid receptor types are ˜70% identical with substantial differences located at N and C termini as well as other regions of the receptors. It is thought that the G protein binds to the third intracellular loop of the opioid receptors. Both in mice and humans, the genes for the various receptor subtypes are located on different chromosomes.
Some characteristics of the MOR, KOR, and DOR are presented below.
The mu (μ) opioid receptor (MOR) is found in the brain (e.g., in the cortex (laminae III and IV), thalamus, striosomes, periaqueductal gray, and rostral ventromedial medulla), in the spinal cord (e.g., in the substantia gelatinosa), in the peripheral sensory neurons, and in the intestinal tract. The mu receptor has roles in analgesia, physical dependence, respiratory depression, miosis, euphoria, reduced gastrointestinal motility, physical dependence, and possible vasodilation.
The kappa (κ) opioid receptor (KOR) is found in the brain (e.g., in the hypothalamus, periaqueductal gray, and claustrum), in the spinal cord (e.g., in the substantia gelatinosa) and in the peripheral sensory neurons. Kappa opioid receptors play a role in analgesia, anticonvulsant effects, depression, dissociative/hallucinogenic effects, diuresis, dysphoria, miosis, neuroprotection, sedation, and stress.
The delta (δ) opioid receptor (DOR) is found in the brain (e.g., in the pontine nuclei, amygdala, olfactory bulbs, deep cortex) and in the peripheral sensory neurons. Delta opioid receptors play a role in analgesia, antidepressant effects, convulsant effects, physical dependence, and may modulate μ-opioid receptor-mediated respiratory depression
The macrocyclic peptide CJ-15,208 (cyclo[Phe-D-Pro-Phe-Trp] (SEQ ID NO. 1) exhibits mixed opioid agonist/kappa opioid receptor (KOR) antagonist activity in vivo and is a promising lead compound for developing novel therapeutics for the treatment of pain and drug abuse. We synthesized analogs of this lead peptide to explore the influence of the aromatic residues on the analogs' opioid activity profiles.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


The present invention relates to colloidal metal oxides having blocked isocyanate groups, which are based on the reaction product of. A) blocked isocyanate group-containing silanes corresponding to formula (I) ##STR1## wherein R represents hydrogen or an organic group having 1 to 40 carbon atoms, PA1 B) colloidal metal oxides selected from Al, Si, Ti, Ta, W, Hf, Zr, Sn and Y.. X, Y and Z represent identical or different organic groups having 1 to 30 carbon atoms which are inert to isocyanate groups below 100.degree. C., provided that at least one of these groups is a C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkoxy group, PA2 Q represents an organic group which contains at least one isocyanate group reacted with a blocking agent and PA2 n is 2, 3 or 4 with. The present invention also relates to the use of modified metal oxides, either alone or in combination with compounds containing at least two isocyanate-reactive groups, for the preparation of optionally expanded polyurethane plastics, lacquers or coating agents.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to colloidal metal oxides with blocked isocyanate groups and their use for producing scratch-resistant coatings on any substrate.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There is a large demand for scratch-resistant coatings for sensitive surfaces, in particular thermoplastic materials. These materials are characterized by high impact strength, transparency and dimensional stability, but only have very low resistance to scratching and to chemicals.
Thermally curing silicone lacquers, which preferably crosslink by a condensation reaction to give Si--O--Si linkages, are mainly used to improve the scratch resistance of thermoplastic materials. In addition to this type of crosslinking, other crosslinking mechanisms may also be used. These coating compositions are often based on partial hydrolysis-condensation products of alkyl or aryltrialkoxysilanes which are usually combined with colloidal silica sols. These coating compositions are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,790,527, 3,887,514, 4,243,720, 4,278,804, 4,419,405, 4,624,870, 4,680,232, 4,006,271, 4,476,281, in DE-A 4,011,045, 4,122,743, 4,020,316, 3,917,535, 3,706,714, 3,407,087, 3,836,815, 2,914,427, 3,135,241, 3,134,777, 3,100,532, 3,151,350 and in DE-A 3,005,541, 3,014,411, 2,834,606, 2,947,879, 3,016,021.
These coatings often have only low elasticity which means they can only be applied in thin layers of less than 10 .mu.m. In addition, due to the small proportion of organic compounds, they are incompatible with organic binders and have poor adhesion, which in most cases requires the application of a primer. In addition, a long baking time is often required for the condensation crosslinking reaction, which may take several hours depending upon the thermal sensitivity of the substrate.
An object of the present invention is to provide an elastic, scratch resistant coating composition, which can be applied in thick layers and has good adhesion to the substrate without the use of a primer. It is an additional object of the present invention to obtain these properties without having to accept a deterioration in other properties, such as scratch resistance and chemical resistance.
Surprisingly, these objects can be achieved with the colloidal metal oxides having blocked isocyanate groups described hereinafter. These compositions can be used to provide hard, scratch resistant coatings having a high resistance to chemicals and outstanding adhesion to the substrate without a primer. The compositions may be applied using conventional baking techniques for blocked isocyanates.

Colloidal metal oxides having blocked isocyanate groups


An elastic wave device includes a resonator and an inductor. One end of the inductor is connected to the resonator, and the other end of the inductor is connected to a ground electrode or a signal electrode. The elastic wave device includes a chip and a mounting substrate. The chip includes a piezoelectric substrate and an interdigital transducer electrode provided on the piezoelectric substrate so define the resonator. The chip is mounted on the mounting substrate. The inductor is provided to the mounting substrate. A dummy electrode to which the one end side of the inductor is connected and the ground electrode or the signal electrode are provided on a surface of the mounting substrate that is opposite to the chip.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an elastic wave device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Elastic wave devices have been widely used as filters and resonators. An elastic wave device generates heat when applying current. Thus, in the case where the heat radiation property of the elastic wave device is low, the temperature of the elastic wave device rises, and there is a concern that an operation abnormality or breakage of the elastic wave device occurs.
As a method for improving the heat radiation property of an electronic component, a method is known in which a via-hole conductor for heat radiation is provided to a mounting substrate, for example, as described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-8186.
Some elastic wave devices include an inductor. The inductor is generally provided in/on a mounting substrate. In such an elastic wave device including an inductor provided in/on a mounting substrate, it may be difficult to sufficiently improve the heat radiation property of the elastic wave device when a via-hole conductor for heat radiation is merely provided. This is because heat generated in a resonator connected to the inductance is transmitted through the inductor having a long drawn length and then is radiated via the via-hole conductor, whereby a heat radiation path is made long.


A crosslinked acid gel comprising an emulsion polymer and an external activator is provided. Methods for acid fracturing subterranean formations using the crosslinked acid gel are also provided.

Subterranean formations of oil and gas wells are often treated by hydraulically fracturing the formations to increase the production of oil or gas. Fracturing of the formations is accomplished by pumping fluids into the bore holes of the oil or gas wells under high pressure so that cracks or fissures are opened into the surrounding formation. Typically, the fracturing fluid is a polymer which has been gelled to increase its viscosity. The fluid's viscosity is proportionally related to the created fracture geometry and fracture width so that the more viscous fluids will produce longer and wider fractures. After the fracturing fluid is injected into the formation to produce the fracture, the viscosity of the fluid is reduced by means of "gel breakers" which break down the gelled fluid so that it can be easily pumped and removed from the well.
In certain formations, aqueous acid solutions can be used to improve the permeability of the formation, thereby increasing production. These acids are often combined with the polymer gels used in fracturing to provide an acid fracturing fluid. One of the benefits of combining the aqueous acid solutions with gelled fracturing fluids is that the gelled fluid inhibits or retards the reaction of the acid with the formation. This is beneficial in that the acid would otherwise react too quickly, depleting the acid with very little penetration of the formation. Once in place, the viscosity of the fluid is reduced so that the acid is released to react with formation damage or other skin present at the face of the newly formed fractures and improving the permeability of the producing strata.
Crosslinked polymer gels have been particularly useful with these aqueous acid solutions. Crosslinked gels are able to withstand the high temperature conditions commonly found in deeper oil and gas wells with little reduction in viscosity, and they exhibit an improved ability in reducing the reaction rate of the acid solution. Organometallic compounds are often used as a crosslinking agent in these polymer gels. It has been found that gels crosslinked with zirconium and titanium compounds can be treated with certain gel breaking substances, such as fluoride, phosphate or sulfate anions, to break the linkages of the crosslinked polymer fluid, thus reducing the viscosity of the gel. Typically, crosslinked polymer gels are prepared by batch mixing. In the batch mix process, acid is contained in a storage tank which connects to a blender via a suction pump. The suction pump draws the acid into the blender and through the blender tub, where a polymer (with an inverting agent or internal activator blended in) is added via a chemical additive unit attached to the blender tub. Agitation and shear are applied, and the acid/polymer mixture is circulated back through the storage tank containing the acid. The process is repeated over and over again until an acid gel having the desired viscosity is attained. The acid gel must be stored in the tank to allow the polymer to hydrate before the crosslinker is added. If the crosslinking agent is added too early, it will prevent the hydration of the polymer. Once the polymer is properly hydrated, the crosslinking agent is blended into the acid gel, and the crosslinked polymer gel is injected into the wellbore.
The batch mixing process has several disadvantages, including the delay associated with waiting for the acid gel to re-circulate and waiting for the polymer to hydrate. Typical hydration times with polymers known in the art are 30 minutes to several hours. It is not uncommon for the final polymer gel composition to be of less than desirable consistency, and if polymer concentrates are not hydrated fully, "fish eyes" of unhydrated polymers form. These fish eyes can significantly impair permeability into the wellbore. Batch mixing is also inefficient and costly because if any mechanical problems force the job to shut-down early, the components of the unused batch-mixed gel product must be discarded.
There are also disadvantages associated with polymers known in the art, which are typically available as polymer dispersions with a preblended inverting agent (i.e., an internal activator). Because an inverting agent increases a polymer dispersion's viscosity, a polymer dispersion that has the inverting agent blended in will become more and more viscous over time. As a result, the polymer dispersion's pourability and stability are affected, reducing the polymer dispersion's shelf-life and eventually making the polymer dispersion useless. Further, the end-user cannot control the polymer dispersion's viscosity profile by choosing how much inverting agent to use for a particular application. Finally, the use of nonylphenolethoxylate, an inverting agent commonly preblended in polymer dispersions known in the art, has been banned in the North Sea due to environmental concerns.

Acid gels for fracturing subterranean formations